Rajasthan Royals Sale: Shane Warne’s Smart Deal Turns Into ₹450 Crore Windfall

The children of late Australian cricketer Shane Warne are set to receive over ₹450 crore after the IPL team Rajasthan Royals was sold. The team was bought by US-based businessman Kal Somani and his group for about $1.63 billion (₹15,290 crore). Warne had made a unique agreement with the IPL franchise by drawing not only a salary of USD 657,000, but a 0.75 per cent ownership stake for every season he played.

Warne’s Smart IPL Deal Earns ₹450 Crore for His Children

Shane Warne was not just a legendary spinner who troubled even the best batsmen, but also had a sharp business mind. In 2019, he told the Herald Sun (quoted by Daily Mail) that he received a 0.75% ownership stake in Rajasthan Royals for every season he played.

“(It was) part of my deal because I had retired from international cricket and I came out (of retirement), they asked me to be captain, coach and run a cricket team the way I wanted to run it; I was the one-stop shop," he said.

This strategic and foresight contract has become a masterstroke now.

According to reports, the children of Shane Warne are expected to receive around ₹450 crore from this deal. This is because his total stake in Rajasthan Royals had reached about 3% by the time he retired from the IPL. Ex-Australian spinner Shane Warne led the Rajasthan Royals to the IPL title in the very first edition of the tournament, in what was a fairytale season for him and the entire team.

Not given a chance by anyone, the Royals defied the odds to defeat the favourites Chennai Super Kings in a tightly contested final. Warne was found dead on March 04, 2022, in a hotel in Koh Samui, Thailand where he was suspected to have had a heart attack at the age of 52.