American businessman Kal Somani has taken over complete control of Rajasthan Royals via a consortium that includes Rob Walton and members of the Hamp family. The deal was reportedly around $1.63 billion (about Rs 15,289 crore), making it one of the largest transactions in IPL history.
The new ownership will officially take effect after the end of the IPL 2026 season. The prior owner of the franchise, Manoj Badale, held a 65% ownership stake. Redbird Capital Partners and Lachlan Murdoch each owned 15% and 13%, respectively, while other small parties owned the remaining 7%.
Who is Kal Somani?
Kal Somani works in AI and Sports Technology and has created companies like IntraEdge and Truyo. In addition to cricket, he also enjoys playing golf. He is one of the co-founders of the Motor City Golf Club, which Tiger Woods is very much associated with. A bid for the Rajasthan Royals was put together with 4 different bids submitted, including Kal’s consortium who won the bid lot. (Times of India)
Kal Somani Was Previously a Minority Investor in RR
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) became the first-ever IPL champions in 2008 (during the inaugural season). After being around since the very beginning, RR has always been known for providing young players with a chance to play as well as develop into professionals. Continuing to apply this type of thinking RR recently hired Riyan Parag as their new captain.
For the last 6 months, the team has had open discussions about selling the franchise. Cal Somani was an existing minority shareholder of the franchise, which helped him in completing this agreement. Riyan Parag is now the captain of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL for the 2026 season.
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There will be changes to the squad of the Rajasthan Royals for the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League, and the biggest change is that there will be a new captain since Sanju Samson has left the team. Last season, there were instances where Riyan Parag filled in for Sanju Samson as the team’s captain when he was unavailable.
Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara has been appointed as the team’s Head Coach. This time around, the Rajasthan Royals will once again set their sights on recreating history much like they did in 2008, when the team clinched its maiden title.
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