Shane Warne’s family set for Rs 450 crore windfall from Rajasthan Royals sale
Shane Warne was as sharp off the field as on it — his 2008 equity deal with Rajasthan Royals is set to earn his family a staggering Rs 450 crore
Australian cricket legend Shane Warne's family is likely to walk away with about Rs 450 crore if IPL team Rajasthan Royals is sold to US-based tech entrepreneur Kal Somani, Walmart heir Rob Walton, and the Hamp family. The development has revealed that Warne was as sharp in financial planning as he was in setting a field for his bowling.
One-stop shop from the start
Back in 2008, when Rajasthan Royals was established as the least expensive franchise through Manoj Badale's Emerging Media Ventures, Warne was not approached merely to captain the side but also to coach and run the team.
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"Part of my deal… they asked me to be the captain, coach, and run a cricket team the way I wanted… I was the one-stop shop," Warne had revealed in an interview with The Herald Sun.
Equity over salary, a masterstroke
Instead of demanding only a salary, Warne signed a deal that gave him 0.75 per cent ownership of the franchise for every year he played with the team. He went on to play till 2011, acquiring a 3 per cent stake in the company, in addition to the Rs 9 crore he earned as remuneration over four years.
On March 24, Somani, alongside Walton and the Ford-backed Hamp family, finalised a USD 1.63 billion (approximately Rs 15,290 crore) deal to secure total control of the Royals. If the transaction receives BCCI approval, which is expected after the conclusion of the upcoming IPL season, Warne's family stands to receive Rs 450 crore from their 3 per cent stake.
Family to inherit the fortune
Unfortunately, Warne is not around to witness the fruits of his astute investment. He passed away in March 2022 in Ko Samui, Thailand, aged 52, following a heart attack. The proceeds will go to his three children and his former wife, Simone Callahan, from whom he separated in 2005.
A legend beyond the numbers
Warne left behind an indelible mark on cricket as one of the greatest leg-spin bowlers the game has ever seen. He claimed 708 Test wickets, the second highest in history, and 293 ODI wickets across a career spanning nearly two decades.
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Wisden named him one of its Five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, a fitting tribute to a man who redefined spin bowling for a generation.