Rajasthan Royals eye huge bid to takeover Yorkshire County Club

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals have reportedly offered a huge buyout offer for English domestic club Yorkshire CCC. If the offer goes through and is accepted, Yorkshire would become the first county club to be owned by an overseas franchise.

It is being reported that Rajasthan Royals have made a huge offer of £25 million (Rs 260 crore), and if the deal is completed, it would give Royals full control over the club and the member-only ownership of Yorkshire will come to an end after more than 160 years.

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.
 
The difference between the deal with Rajasthan Royals and other parties would be that Royals demand 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.
 
As for the debt, Royals would be issuing a loan note to Yorkshire, which would be later converted into equity. The offer from the inaugural IPL champions will be discussed with Yorkshire's board of members in the latter stages of September 2023, and a final decision could be expected soon after that. 
 
If the deal does go through, Rajasthan will look to make their way into The Hundred as well. It is worth noting that Yorkshire is a major shareholder in The Hundred franchise, Northern Superchargers. The deal will help the Royals expand their reach in England, as they have done so in the past with many domestic tournaments across the world.