Kal Somani's Rajasthan Royals takeover includes Royals' CPL, SA20 teams

In a massive deal worth $1.635 billion (₹15,290 crore approx), a consortium led by Arizona-based tech entrepreneur Kal Somani bought the ownership of one of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) original eight franchises, Rajasthan Royals (RR).

 

RR were originally acquired in 2008 by UK-based Emerging Media, led by Manoj Badale, for $67 million. When adjusted for this shift and compared in rupee terms, the recent bid from the Somani-led consortium is nearly 57 times higher than the franchise’s original purchase value.

 

Somani’s acquisition of RR is not limited to the IPL, as the takeover deal also includes Royals' franchise teams in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the South Africa T20 League (SA20).

 

How have the Royals’ franchise teams performed across competitions?

The first franchise cricket team under the Royals’ umbrella was IPL’s Rajasthan Royals. Despite being the lowest-valued team in the inaugural season in 2008, RR managed to lift the trophy under the leadership of Shane Warne.

 

However, after the inaugural season success, RR only managed to reach the final once, back in 2021, where they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT), who lifted their maiden title.

 

In 2021, Royals decided to buy the ownership of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) team Barbados Tridents and renamed them Barbados Royals. While Barbados won two titles (2014 and 2019) before Royals’ acquisition, their best season under the new name came in 2022, when they finished as runners-up.

 

Finally, in 2022, Royals bid for the ownership rights of a Paarl-based team in SA20, where they won and created a new team named Paarl Royals.

 

Paarl Royals qualified for the playoffs in all four seasons of SA20 so far, but are yet to win their maiden trophy. They finished in fourth position in 2023, before crashing out in the Eliminator again in 2024.

 

In 2025 and 2026, they reached the top three but failed to reach the final on both occasions and crashed out in Qualifier 2. 

RR’s fixtures in IPL 2026

Despite the ownership change of the Royals’ franchise, no immediate changes are expected to take place within RR’s team ahead of IPL 2026. RR, who announced Riyan Parag as their new skipper after the departure of Sanju Samson, will start their campaign against CSK on March 30 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

 

Royals will then travel to Ahmedabad to take on Gujarat Titans on April 4, before returning to Guwahati to play their next two games of phase 1 against MI and RCB on April 7 and 10, respectively.

Warne family to get a share in RR sale?

According to media reports, RR’s inaugural captain Shane Warne was given 0.75 per cent of the team’s equity under Emerging Media for each year he played. Warne represented RR from IPL 2008 to 2011, taking his total equity in RR to 3 per cent.

 

Now, with the franchise valued at $1.63 billion in the sale, Shane Warne’s stake is estimated to be worth approximately ₹450–460 crore, which will go directly to his family.