Ex-Rajasthan Royals Captain Sanju S (Source: AFP)
The Rajasthan Royals, inaugural IPL champions, are set to get their new owner ahead of the tournament’s upcoming edition. Meanwhile, some renowned corporate giants are in line to acquire one of the most popular franchises in the tournament’s history.
The existing three big bidders included the likes of Times Internet Group, Kal Somani, and Lancer Capital/Capri Global. But what looked like a race of three giants is now set to have one more competitor, as another big corporate player has confirmed its entry into the bid for the Rajasthan Royals franchise.
Renowned corporate giant set to bid Rajasthan Royals
In what seems to be a big piece of news for Rajasthan Royals fans, India’s leading corporate player, the Aditya Birla Group, has submitted its joint binding bid. The bid is submitted to get the majority stake in the franchise. In this bid, the Aditya Birla Group will be joined by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment co-founder David Blitzer.
So, the Aditya Birla Group and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment’s consortium will enter the bidding as the fourth competitor. Currently, the franchise is owned by Manoj Badale-owned Emerging Media Ventures.
Now, Badale is moving ahead in the process of selling the franchise's majority stakes, for which four major competitors have come to the picture so far.
Also Read: Rajasthan Royals End Standoff With Govt, 4 IPL 2026 Games Confirmed in Jaipur
Ex-RR member Aryaman Birla to lead the consortium
The consortium is set to be led by Aryaman Birla, son of Aditya Birla Group’s chairman, Kumar Manglam Birla. It will be a special moment for Aryaman Birla, who was also a professional cricketer and part of the Rajasthan Royals squad in IPL.
But his cricketing journey happened to be short-lived as he moved to the director role in the business owned by his family. Speaking of Aryaman Birla’s domestic cricket career, he represented Madhya Pradesh in nine First-Class games and four List-A games.
In these appearances, Birla scored 414 First-Class runs at an average of 27.60, hitting a century and a half-century. In List-A, he scored just 36 runs in three innings. He also couldn’t get a chance to feature in RR’s playing XI in IPL.
Changes at different levels for Rajasthan Royals
Notably, The Raine Group will manage this entire sale process of the Royals. It has been the same group that managed the sale processes for the two giant football clubs, Chelsea FC and Manchester United, in the past.
The projected valuation is expected to be between $ 1 billion and $1.2 billion. The majority control of the franchise is the stake offered by the existing primary owner, Manoj Badale. The final deadline for the bid is next week, on Sunday, March 15.
Apart from the paradigm shift in the ownership, the Rajasthan Royals will also see some major changes in their team for IPL 2026. After the departure of Sanju Samson to the Chennai Super Kings in a big trade, the Royals franchise will also look ahead to appoint a new captain in the upcoming edition.
The veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, traded from CSK, could be one of the captaincy choices for RR, as he had also played for them in the first season.
Also Read- ICC Confirms Daren Sammy’s WI Travel Date Amid Tensions; Plans For SA, England Safe Trips
