Rajasthan Royals has been acquired by Kal Somani for a whopping price of US$1.6 billion, making it one of the most valued franchises in the Indian Premier League. The deal has been closed with only a few days left before the commencement of the 2026 edition of the marquee T20 tournament. Notably, Somani was a minority shareholder in the franchise earlier but has now gained full ownership.
This implies that Manoj Badale, the previous majority co-owner of the Jaipur-based team, will be diluting his stake, with the Somani-led consortium, which also includes multinational corporation Walmart, holding a full 100 per cent ownership of the Rajasthan Royals. Badale, who owned the side through Emerging Media, is no more a part of the ownership table with the Royals.
Who is Kal Somani?
Kal Somani, who is in his mid-50s, hails from Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a serial entrepreneur, boasting a strong hold of the technology industry in the United States of America. Owning RR is not the first time he has had the taste of ownership, as he is the founder as well as the chief executive officer behind multiple corporations like Truyo, Academian, and IntraEdge.
By expanding his scope of expertise in franchise cricket, it can be assumed that Somani intends to spread his overall ownership portfolio.
The amount at which RR is valued seems a little surprising, but there is no doubt in the fact that the franchise has given cricket some of its brightest talents through exceptional scouting and grooming of young and less-known players. Some of the most notable names of cricketers who started their IPL journey with RR include Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel.
RR’s next biggest bet is on the 14-year-old batter from Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He has already become a well-known figure in cricketing circles and among the most sought-after players following his IPL debut, where he smashed the fastest century in the league by an Indian. Performances like these may have influenced Somani to put his eggs in RR’s basket.
What Somani will expect from the franchise is a trophy win. Notably, The team has not won an IPL title since being the original champions of the tournament in the inaugural 2008 edition. They have come close on multiple occasions thereafter, but the silverware has eluded them. With a change in both ownership and captaincy, RR will be excited to turn the tables of their fortune.
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