- Chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani is the world’s second-richest owner of the sports team behind Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani is the world’s second-richest owner of the sports team. Ambani topped Forbes’ 2019 list of The World’s Richest Sports Team Owners last year. However, this year, after former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer who owns the Los Angeles Clippers, Ambani is ranked number two.
Ambani’s net worth was $36.8 billion when the list was compiled. Since then, however, its net worth has risen to $52.5 billion. At the time of list compilation, Steve Ballmer’s net worth was $52.7 billion. According to Forbes real-time net worth data, it has surged $65.4 billion since.
In major sports leagues around the world, there are 60 billionaire controlling team owners who own a total of 80 teams and collectively worth $379 billion.

While compiling the list, Forbes noted that Ambani ‘s wealth plummeted $13 billion, to $36.8 billion, as RIL shares plunged during a global recession over energy demand concerns. Because of this plummet in his net worth, Ballment has dethroned him as the richest owner of the world’s sports team. Ambani manages the Indian Premier League cricket team for the Mumbai Indians. In 2008 he purchased the team through a subsidiary of RIL for over
This year, Ballmer was ranked number one as its wealth increased by $11.5 billion. Although other indices on the global stock exchange were down at least 20 percent, Microsoft’s tech giant rose 30 percent in 12 months to March 31, 2020. Gains from Microsoft, fuelled by strong results from cloud computing, added billions to Ballmer’s net worth making the world’s richest sports team owner. After he retired from Microsoft, Ballmer purchased the basketball team for about $2 billion.
François Pinault, luxury group chairman Kering, who owns Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Gucci fashion brands, is ranked third on the list. t.Stade Rennais FC is owned by Pinault.
After the April 2019 fire, Pinault and his family gave $109 million to rebuild Notre Dame cathedral.
Creator of Red Bull energy drink group Dietrich Mateschitz followed at number four. He controls the Red Bull Racing team in Formula One and the New York Red Bulls club in MLS. Mateschitz and the Thai businessman Chaleo Yoovidhya co-founded the ubiquitous energy drink in 1987. He was a marketing executive for German consumer products company Blendax who is known for shampoos before Red Bull.
Other people in the top ten include Hasso Plattner and the family owning the American ice hockey team San Jose Sharks, David Tepper owning the American football team Carolina Panthers, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, a majority owner of the Chelsea Football Club, Philip Anschutz owning the Los Angeles Kings and LA Galaxy Football Club, Stanley Kroenke owning NFL, MLS, NHL, EPL, and NBA teams, and Joseph Tsai owner of Brooklyn Nets.