According to a PTI report cited by Dainik Bhaskar on March 24, 2026, Rajasthan Royals have been sold for $1.63 billion, or about Rs 15,289 crore, to a consortium led by Indian-origin American businessman Kal Somani. If completed as reported, the deal makes the inaugural IPL champions the league's most expensive franchise and gives Jaipur fans a major ownership change to watch around the team most closely linked with Rajasthan's capital.
The reported valuation also resets the IPL benchmark. Bhaskar said the sale price moves past the previous record set in 2021, when Sanjiv Goenka's RPSG Group bought Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 7,090 crore. For Jaipur readers, the number matters not only because of franchise value, but because Rajasthan Royals remain one of the state's strongest sports brands and regularly anchor fan attention around Jaipur fixtures.
Quick Highlights
- Bhaskar, citing PTI sources, said Rajasthan Royals were sold for about $1.63 billion or Rs 15,289 crore.
- The reported winning bid came from a consortium led by Kal Somani.
- The valuation is higher than the Rs 7,090 crore paid for Lucknow Super Giants in 2021.
- Bhaskar said Aditya Birla Group, Times of India Group and Capri Global were also in the final race.
Why the valuation stands out
Bhaskar said Rajasthan Royals were originally bought in 2008 for $67 million, roughly Rs 260 crore to Rs 270 crore at the time. Measured at current value, that earlier price works out to about Rs 628 crore, which means the reported 2026 valuation is roughly 24 times higher.
That jump shows how sharply IPL franchise values have risen even for teams that are not recent title winners. Rajasthan's brand still carries weight because it was the first-ever IPL champion in 2008 and remains one of the competition's most recognisable original sides, including for fans who follow the team from Jaipur.
Who Kal Somani is and what happens next
Bhaskar described Somani as a major name in technology and investing, with interests across ed-tech, data privacy, AI governance and sports tech. The same report said he has already been an investor in Rajasthan Royals since 2021, suggesting this is an expansion of an existing relationship rather than a completely new entry into the franchise.
Bhaskar also reported that British-Indian businessman Manoj Badale previously held 65 percent of the team. However, the report did not detail the exact post-deal ownership structure, so the next thing Jaipur and Rajasthan fans will likely watch for is formal confirmation of the shareholding split and any operational changes that follow.
A franchise with a long and uneven IPL history
Rajasthan Royals won the IPL's inaugural season in 2008 under Shane Warne, but their record since then has been mixed. Bhaskar noted that the team reached the final only once after that, in 2022, when it lost to Gujarat Titans.
The franchise also carries baggage from the 2015 spot-fixing case that led to a two-season suspension. Bhaskar said the Lodha Committee found co-owner Raj Kundra guilty of betting, which pushed both Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings out of the 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons before Rajasthan returned in 2018. That history is part of why any new ownership chapter will be watched closely in Jaipur as much as across the wider state.
