Who are the Glazers? RCB's potential IPL 2026 owner with Manchester United background

Glazers currently own Manchester United in Premier League [Source: X]

IPL franchise RCB is going through a purple patch as both the men’s and women’s teams are holding championships, and have been the best team in the league by a country mile. After not winning a league title since its inception (2008), RCB won the IPL title in 2025, while the Women’s team has already won two trophies.

However, despite tasting success recently, the team owners, United Spirits are planning to sell the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026 season. The RCB stocks are high after witnessing success in recent years, and perhaps the owners want to cash in on it, with the team valued at $ 2 billion.

Meet the Glazers, RCB's potential new owners

With RCB being the most popular IPL franchise, several big business tycoons are looking to buy the team, and one of them are the Glazers, the current owners of the Premier League club, Manchester United.

Avram Glazer, the Executive Co-Chairman of Manchester United, has reportedly put in a jaw-dropping $1.8 billion (around Rs 16,300 crore) bid to buy the current IPL winners.

The Glazers family business

Malcolm Glazer started the family business in 1970 and had businesses in real estate. Things went uphil for them in the 1980s as he founded First Allied Corporation which served as a holding company for family business in the USA.

In 1995, Glazer bought National Football League side Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in 2005, the family entered the Premier League as they bought Manchester United for 790 million pounds.

Manchester United achievements under Glazers

United first tasted Premier League success under the Glazers in the 2006-07 season, and won two more Premier League titles as United went three in a row. The team reached the Champions League finale in 2008, 2009, and 2011, and were victorious in 2008, defeating arch-rivals, Chelsea.

The team last won a Premier League title under them in 2013, and since then, there has been a barren drought. However, amidst failure in the league, United has won multiple domestic cup titles, and have also won the Europa League.

Controversies surrounding Glazers

While United has seen success under its owners, the last major Premier League title came in 2013 and in recent years, fans have questioned their ambitions towards the club. The Glazers have also been criticised for burdening the club with debt, and investing little to improve the team in the league.

Every year, fan protests take place as the die-hard United fans have become frustrated as the owners are doing little to nothing for the team. As a result, the owners sold 28.94% of their shares to Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

What RCB can expect if Glazers become team owner

RCB can expect a roller-coaster ride if the Glazers get the RCB ownership. The family has a net worth of approximately USD $10 billion, and the owners could utilise the money to further develop RCB as a brand.

However, history suggests that American owners are rigid with their decision-making and they have a tendency to interfere in day-to-day Manchester United operations. This is something RCB must not want in their new owners, as Mo Bobat, Andy Flower, and Dinesh Karthik are doing a stellar job in helping the team in the league.