Sports
CCI clears Westview, Poonawalla deal for three Royals franchises
Transaction covers Rajasthan Royals, Paarl Royals and Barbados Royals across three cricket leagues
MUMBAI: The Royals are adding a new chapter to their ownership story, with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) approving the acquisition of three professional cricket franchises by Westview Cricket Ltd and Poonawalla Sports and Fitness Pvt Ltd.
The transaction covers Rajasthan Royals in India, Paarl Royals in South Africa and Barbados Royals in Barbados, giving the proposed ownership group interests across three professional cricket markets.
Westview Cricket is registered in the UK, while Poonawalla Sports is an Indian private limited company wholly owned by Adar Cyrus Poonawalla. The three franchises are held through Mauritius registered EM Sporting Holdings Limited (EMSH), which serves as the holding company for Royal Multisport Private Limited (RMPL), Paarl Royals Ltd and Barbados Royals Ltd.
RMPL owns and operates Rajasthan Royals, one of the franchises competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the T20 competition organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The transaction follows the acquisition of Rajasthan Royals by a consortium led by the Mittal family and Poonawalla for approximately Rs 15,660 crore. The consortium also includes existing principal owner Manoj Badale and other approved investors.
Under the proposed ownership structure, the Mittal family is set to hold around 75 per cent of Rajasthan Royals, while Poonawalla will own approximately 18 per cent. The remaining 7 per cent will continue to be held by existing investors.
The CCI approval also covers the ownership transition involving Paarl Royals in South Africa and Barbados Royals in the Caribbean, extending the transaction beyond the IPL and into two other professional cricket competitions.
The move gives the ownership group a footprint spanning India, South Africa and the Caribbean, while Rajasthan Royals continues its focus on developing young players, including teenage batting talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
With three Royals franchises, multiple jurisdictions and a Rs 15,660 crore transaction behind it, the latest ownership move takes the franchise brand well beyond a single league and into a broader international cricket portfolio.
