<p>Indian Premier League (IPL)'s inaugural champions <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rajasthan-royals">Rajasthan Royals </a>are set to be bought by US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani-led consortium for for $1.63 billion. </p><p>Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge, Truyo.Ai and Academian.</p><p>Media reports say that Somani is being backed by American businessman Rob Walton, of the Walmart group.</p>.<p>The sale of the Rajasthan-based franchise is subject to approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and will come into effect after IPL 2026 edition. </p><p>"Kal is an existing investor in the franchise. The deal is subject to approval from the BCCI and will be signed soon. The price of $1.63 billion reflects how far the IPL has come as a brand," a well-placed source told PTI news agency.</p><p>"If you look at the sale of the latest IPL entrants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), it's way more than that. It just shows remarkable growth of the league," shared another source drawing a comparison with sale of LSG to RPSG Group for little over Rs 7000 crore back in 2021.</p><p>"I expect the deal to be announced in the next four to five days," he added.</p><p>Riyan Parag is currently leading the Rajasthan Royals franchise. Royals, who won the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008 is currently owned by </p><p>British-Indian Manoj Badalew, who holds a 65 per cent stake in the Royals.</p><p>The team opens its IPL 2026 campaign with a home game against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on March 30.</p><p>(With inputs from agencies)</p>
<p>Indian Premier League (IPL)'s inaugural champions <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/rajasthan-royals">Rajasthan Royals </a>are set to be bought by US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani-led consortium for for $1.63 billion. </p><p>Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge, Truyo.Ai and Academian.</p><p>Media reports say that Somani is being backed by American businessman Rob Walton, of the Walmart group.</p>.<p>The sale of the Rajasthan-based franchise is subject to approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and will come into effect after IPL 2026 edition. </p><p>"Kal is an existing investor in the franchise. The deal is subject to approval from the BCCI and will be signed soon. The price of $1.63 billion reflects how far the IPL has come as a brand," a well-placed source told PTI news agency.</p><p>"If you look at the sale of the latest IPL entrants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), it's way more than that. It just shows remarkable growth of the league," shared another source drawing a comparison with sale of LSG to RPSG Group for little over Rs 7000 crore back in 2021.</p><p>"I expect the deal to be announced in the next four to five days," he added.</p><p>Riyan Parag is currently leading the Rajasthan Royals franchise. Royals, who won the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008 is currently owned by </p><p>British-Indian Manoj Badalew, who holds a 65 per cent stake in the Royals.</p><p>The team opens its IPL 2026 campaign with a home game against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on March 30.</p><p>(With inputs from agencies)</p>
