Not a done deal yet? RR yet to be sold as new rival consortium makes fresh offer to compete with Kal Somani & Co.

When the BCCI first put IPL franchises up for auction in 2008, a group led by UK-based entrepreneur Manoj Badale picked up the Jaipur franchise for just $67 million, roughly INR 268 crore at the exchange rate of the time.

That price made Rajasthan Royals the cheapest team in the league. Nearly 18 years later, the franchise has seen a 24-fold jump in valuation in dollar terms, and in rupee terms, the rise is an even more staggering 57 times.

On 25 March 2026, a buyout deal was announced wherein 100% of the franchise would be sold to Somani, who had partnered with Walmart heir Rob Walton and Detroit Lions owners Sheila Ford Hamp and her son Michael, to put forth a $1.63 billion offer.

However, if the report is to be believed, then the valuation might see a jump again, with a new bidder throwing its hat into the ring.

MORE:Rajasthan Royals’ massive ROI after IPL franchise sale: Detailing RR's 2008 buy price vs 2026 valuation

The Cricket News Opinion: IPL valuation set for another massive boost

The fact that a billion-dollar deal, once declared settled, can be unsettled by a fresh competing offer says everything about where the IPL stands as a global investment destination.

RedBird Capital, which held a 15% stake, is set to make nearly eight times its money on exit, while Lachlan Murdoch is looking at a return of over 90 times his original investment. Those numbers explain why the queue of buyers does not seem to thin out.

For Royals fans in Jaipur, the hope is simple: that whoever ends up in charge brings the same hunger for silverware that Shane Warne's underdog side showed back in 2008, when they won it against all odds, when nobody believed.

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