Rajasthan Royals Sale Update: Kal Somani-led consortium buys RR for $1.63 Billion just before IPL 2026
(Courtesy : IPL)
Riyan Parag will lead RR in IPL 2026.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) will witness a lot of changes in the Indian Premier League 2026. To begin with, the franchise will have a new captain in IPL 2026 after Sanju Samson’s ouster.
Riyan Parag has been appointed as the new captain of RR after Samson joined the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) through a trade deal. Parag also led the team in a few games last year in Samson’s absence but has been appointed as the full-time skipper for the upcoming season.
Moreover, the IPL 2008 champions will also have a new coach. Rahul Dravid parted ways with the franchise ahead of the next season. Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has been named as his successor. Now, the Royals are also set to have new owners as their sale has been completed.
US-based entrepreneur bought 100% stakes of RR
A consortium led by US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani is the new owner of the Rajasthan Royals. The group has bought 100 per cent stakes in the franchise for $1.63 billion (approx. INR 15,000 crore).
Somani has led enterprises in ed-tech, data privacy, AI governance, and sports tech. He is the founder of companies like InfraEdge, Truyo.AI, and Academian. He is not new to RR as he also acquired a minority stake in the franchise in 2021.
Somani is being backed by American businessman Rob Walton of Walmart Group and Hamp Family, who owns Detroit Lions in the NFL and holds a significant stake in Ford Motor Company.
The current owners of the RR are Manoj Badale (65%), RedBird Capital Partners (15%), Lachlan Murdoch (13%), and Individual investors (7%). For the last few months, they were looking to sell their stakes in the franchise.
The franchise operates under Royal Sports Group, which also owns Paarl Royals in South Africa’s SA20 and Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League.
The Rajasthan Royals sale was managed by Raine Group, which launched the process in January 2026 at a floor valuation of $ 1.1 billion. After the initial round, four groups were shortlisted for the sale, including Somani’s consortium, the Aditya Birla Group, Times of India Group, and Capri Global.
Aditya Birla Group partnered with David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and emerged as the frontrunner. Sanjay Govil (owner of Washington Freedom in MLC) also entered the bidding race later. Somani’s consortium submitted an initial offer of $1.3 billion and eventually won with a final bid of $1.63 billion.
Who are the new owners of the Rajasthan Royals?
A consortium led by US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani is the new owner of RR.
Who will captain RR in IPL 2026?
Riyan Parag will lead the team in the tournament.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.