A massive update emerged just days before the beginning of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). Rajasthan Royals, the first-ever champion of the league, has a new owner.
According to a Times of India report, A consortium led by US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani has won the bid to own the Rajasthan Royals franchise. Somani is a well-known face in the international business sector as he is backed by American business Rob Walton, of the Walmart family, and the Hamp family, which also has majority stakes in the NFL’s Detroit Lions.
How much money did the new owner spend to purchase RR?
The report also informed that the existing owners of the Rajasthan Royals were trying to sell the franchise. If the reports are to be believed, then the US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani won the bid to claim the franchise for around $1.63 billion (£1.2 billion).
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Who is Kal Somani, the new owner of the Rajasthan Royals?
Kal Somani is a well-known businessman who has 15 years of experience across different sectors. The Arizona-based entrepreneur made a reputation through organizations like ed-tech, data privacy, artificial intelligence governance, and sports technology. He is also associated with AI-based initiatives. Somani is directly linked with the spectrum of various sports as well. He is a co-owner of Motor City Golf Club. And one of the early investors in TGL Golf League, and TMRW Sports.
Somani also made some investment in the Royals as well in the past. According to media reports, the businessman invested in the franchise back in 2021. Keeping an eye on the growth of the cash-rich league, it is understandable why he purchased the ownership of the Rajasthan Royals.
Royals is currently owned by Manoj Badale (Emerging Media) alongside RedBird Capital Partners and Lachlan Murdoch will hand over the responsibilities to Somani. An official announcement is expected to be made soon by the franchise.
“So, the Rajasthan Royals is sold for 1.63 billion USD. Purely for comparison, London Spirit, the most expensive team, was valued at 370 million USD when there was a stake sale in The 100,” Harsha Bhogle wrote in his ‘X’ post.
The franchise will try to revive its glory days with Riyan Parag as its newly appointed skipper
The franchise instantly transitioned into a changeover phase as soon as they traded out Sanju Samson to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. In the IPL 2026, they will play under their new leader, Riyan Parag, who is a talented growing talent.
Parag will lead a bunch of young, promising cricketers like Yashasvi Ja and Swal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the season. It will also be interesting to see, how their fans react during the matches without Samson in the Pink.
Rajasthan Royals will start their IPL 2026 campaign on March 30 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, against the CSK. The RR vs CSK match is a must-watch clash as Sanju Samson will be facing his previous IPL team.
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