Kal Somani, who was already a shareholder in Rajasthan Royals, has now taken full control of the team. He bought the Rajasthan-based franchise for around USD 1.6 billion (over ₹15,000 crore). The Times Group was also in the race but finished second.
Somani will lead a group of investors that also includes Walmart. Together, they have bought 100% ownership of the Royals, one of the original IPL teams. He is expected to officially take charge after the 2026 season, replacing Manoj Badale, who is currently in charge through Emerging Media.
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Originally from Scottsdale, Somani is in his 50s and has a strong interest in sports, especially golf. He is one of the founders of Motor City Golf Club, which is linked with golf legend Tiger Woods. His son, Arjun Somani, is also making a name for himself in junior golf in the United States. Apart from sports, Somani is involved in academics and has started several companies.
Rajasthan Royals performance in IPL
Rajasthan Royals are the inagural IPL winners. Across 16 seasons of play (excluding a two-year suspension in 2016–2017), they have won one title and finished as runners-up once in 2022, where the Gujarat Titans defeated them by seven wickets to win their maiden IPL title.
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RR's IPL 2026 schedule
| Home Team | Away Team | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan Royals | Chennai Super Kings | Guwahati | 30/03/2026 |
| Gujarat Titans | Rajasthan Royals | Ahmedabad | 4/04/2026 |
| Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians | Guwahati | 7/04/2026 |
| Rajasthan Royals | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Guwahati | 10/04/2026 |
RR squad for IPL 2026
Riyan Parag(C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-DRe Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao Parela, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger.