In the IPL things are still about winning trophies – but don’t be fooled, money is starting to really call the shots. The Rajasthan Royals now find themselves right in the thick of this change – the Jaipur based franchise is steaming towards becoming the first IPL side to be valued at over a billion bucks (around 9,215 crores in rupees). Some of their recent seasons on the pitch have been a bit patchy, but that hasn’t stopped their business value from taking off. In fact they’re attracting heaps of interest from global investors – several of whom are already offering north of a billion dollars. It’s all pretty clear, the IPL’s financial world has truly gone into hyper drive.

It’s being reported that RR is on course to surpass the $1 billion valuation mark, with no less then four groups throwing in the hat with bids – each ranging between $1.1 billion & $1.3 billion. It’s a pretty astonishing number for a team that has never really had a lot of glamour surrounding it – but that’s exactly the point. The IPL is proving that there’s more to success than just how you play on the pitch. To give some perspective, the most expensive IPL franchise ever sold is the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), which the RPSG Group picked up for around 7,090 crore rupees a couple of years ago.

The Royals – as always – are being run by Emerging Media Ventures in partnership with RedBird Capital Partners and Tiger Global. And it looks like there’s some serious interest in taking the reins from them, with the likes of Kal Somani – who already has a stake in the franchise – throwing his hat into the ring. Also in the running are big hitters like Times Internet, Blackstone Inc. and Carlyle Group Inc, all of which are keen to get a piece of the IPL’s rapidly expanding commercial action.

On the cricketing front, things have been up and down for the Royals . That said though, they were the first team to win the IPL back in 2008, & since then theyve only made it to one final in 2022 – coming up just shy against the Gujarat Titans. It all went downhill a bit after that , which probably didnt make it any easier to cope with when the 2025 season rolled around. Still though, their on-field struggles havent been enough to stop people getting excited about the prospect of owning the team.

The whole sale thing is being handled by the Raine Group , a firm which has a pretty impressive track record when it comes to high-profile sports deals. Theyre the same people who sorted out the sales of Chelsea FC back in 2022 and Manchester United in 2024 – which gives you an idea of how serious this whole process is for the Royals.

And the Royals might be the first cab off the rank – because with so many heavyweight bidders already in the mix, the spotlight is now going to fall on the defending IPL champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru . Theyve got one of the leagues strongest brands and a fanbase that is literally massive ; and its being reported that theyre also looking at a potential change of ownership.

Sources close to RCB suggest that the bids could easily hit – and maybe even surpass – the $2 billion mark. And although the Diageo, the current owner, hasnt confirmed anything , its understood that the numbers from the Royals sale have encouraged them to start testing the waters . Given the massive popularity of RCB, everyone is pretty confident that theyll outstrip the Royals valuation by a mile

Blackstone and Carlyle are reportedly pursuing bids for both Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru which demonstrates how investment firms are using their global reach to compete in the league.

The sale of RR to a new standard would establish a fresh valuation benchmark which RCB would exceed. The two teams demonstrate increasing worth because their value continues to grow despite changing performance levels which marks the start of their billion-dollar valuation phase.