The sale of the Rajasthan Royals, an Indian Premier League franchise, to a consortium led by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and vaccine billionaire Adar Poonawalla has faced criticism from rival bidder Kal Somani and his partners. They expressed deep disappointment after being excluded from the final ownership group, despite claiming to have been the leading bidders throughout the six-month process. The transaction, valued at approximately $1.65 billion, will see the Mittal family acquiring around 75% of the franchise, while Poonawalla will hold about 18%. Somani's consortium, which includes notable investors like members of the Walmart and Ford families, challenged the fairness of the sale process, asserting they were fully funded and prepared to close the deal. They emphasized the need for transparency and integrity in such significant transactions. Despite this setback, Somani indicated that his group would continue to seek investment opportunities in the global sports market.