IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals are in talks to buy Yorkshire Cricket Club an English domestic Cricket Club. The franchise has reportedly offered a huge sum of money to the club which amounts to £25 million (Rs 260 crore). If the deal goes through Rajasthan Royals will become the first overseas club to own an English domestic cricket club. The deal will also give the Royals the chance to make an entry into The Hundred as Yorkshire owns a major stake in the Hundred team Northern Superchargers.
One of the biggest reasons why Yorkshire is in the market is due to its massive debt of £15 million to the family trust of former chairman Colin Graves. There have been several reports of potential buyers looking to take over the county club. Furthermore, there have been reports of Yorkshire being in discussions with other IPL franchises alongside Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, a Saudi prince.
A Historic Deal
One of the main differences between the deal with Rajasthan Royals and other parties is that the franchise has deemed full ownership of the club whereas the other parties will look to maintain the member-only ownership that has been the case for over 160 years now
The offer is still in the initial stages as Yorkshire will put it before the board later this month and then it would be out before the members, followed by voting on whether to accept the offer or not. As far as the debt is concerned Rajasthan Royals will be issuing a loan note to Yorkshire Cricket Club which will be converted into equity. The offer made by the Royals to Yorkshire will be discussed in the latter stages of September 2023 and the final decision regarding the deal will be taken soon after that.
Global Presence
Royals already have their presence in overseas leagues like the CPL and SA20 along with other IPL franchises like Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. Interestingly all the teams in South Africa’s domestic T20 league SA20 are owned by IPL franchises
