Kamal Ghorui
With the sale of the Rajasthan Royals franchise, there is a growing sense that the long, lingering shadow of Lalit Modi over the team, and to an extent the league, may finally begin to fade. Lalit Modi, former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner, has remained a controversial and polarising figure ever since his exit from Indian cricket administration.For years, whispers and speculation have linked him, directly or indirectly, to the Rajasthan Royals. While Modi has consistently denied any involvement with the franchise, the rumours have refused to die down. They have been fuelled by the franchise’s early ownership structures, financial opacity in the league’s formative years, and the broader controversies that surrounded the IPL in its early phase.
The Rajasthan Royals franchise was acquired for US$67 million in 2008 by Emerging Media, making them the least expensive team when the teams were sold.On Tuesday, a consortium led by US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani won the bid to own the Rajasthan Royals franchise. Somani has led enterprises in ed-tech, data privacy, AI governance and sports tech. He is the founder of global companies such as IntraEdge, Truyo, Truyo.AI and Academian. The consortium is learned to have put in a bid of $1.63 billion (£1.2 billion).Somani is being backed by American businessman Rob Walton of the Walmart family, and the Hamp family, which holds majority stakes in the Detroit Lions. Sheila Ford Hamp is also part of the Ford Motor Company family.The Royals, despite being one of the original success stories and winning the inaugural season in 2008, have often found themselves at the centre of turbulence. From ownership questions to the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case that led to suspensions and reputational damage, the franchise has rarely been far from controversy. In that context, Modi’s perceived proximity, whether real or exaggerated, became part of a larger narrative around the team.Now, with a change in ownership and a clearer corporate structure, the Royals have an opportunity to move on from that era. Whether this finally buries the speculation around Modi’s influence is uncertain, but symbolically it marks a fresh chapter, one where the franchise can redefine itself without the baggage of its past.
