2 ‘Royal’ IPL Teams Sold On Same Day!

The IPL is starting this week, and it is naturally bound to invite attention from the Cricket loving population across the country in the earliest stages. But just three days before the start of the IPL tournament, we have witnessed a pretty significant development.

Not one but two IPL teams that were put on sale in the open auction market earlier got sold in a single day. This significant development happened on March 24, as Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru got sold in a span of a few hours. 

Earlier in the day, it was the news about Rajasthan Royals getting new ownership. US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani-led consortium has bought 100% of Rajasthan Royals at US$1.63 billion.

He is joined by the Rob Walton (Walmart) and the Hamp (Ford) families in the consortium. On related note, we have the acquisition of defending champions of the IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. 

A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, American sports investor David Blitzer, US private equity firm Blackstone emerged the lead bidder to acquire IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore).

The fact that two major IPL teams were sold in the auction just before the start of the IPL 2026 season is grabbing the attention now. But the acquisition and related transition process will happen only after the compilation of the 2026 tournament.