Rise of Aaryaman Birla: From RR player to RCB’s chairman

Dubai: On Tuesday, a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group — alongside Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy BXPE (headed by CEO Viral Patel), Bolt Ventures owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media giant The Times of India Group — finalised a deal to acquire Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Valued at approximately $1.78 billion, the transaction marks the most expensive franchise sale in cricket history.

As part of the agreement, Aryaman Birla, son of Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, will assume the role of RCB’s new chairman.

Interestingly, the 28-year-old has a notable cricketing background. Despite being the son of one of the world’s wealthiest industrialists, Aryaman chose to pursue cricket on his own terms. At 17, he moved from Mumbai to Madhya Pradesh to carve out his own path in the sport. A left-handed batter, he played nine first-class matches for Madhya Pradesh, scoring 414 runs, including a century against Bengal at Eden Gardens. He also featured in four List A matches, scoring 36 runs. Aryaman made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2017 and registered his maiden first-class century in 2018 — an unbeaten 103 against Bengal at Eden Gardens.

That same year, he was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for the IPL, where he shared the dressing room with international stars such as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. He remained with the franchise for the 2018 and 2019 seasons but did not feature in a match and was released ahead of the 2020 season.

At 22, Aryaman stepped away from cricket indefinitely, citing severe anxiety linked to the pressures of the game. In a social media post, he wrote, “I have felt trapped. I have pushed myself through all the distress so far but now I feel the need to put my mental health and well being above all else.”

“We all have our own journeys and I want to take this time to understand myself better, open my mind to new and varied perspectives and seek purpose in my findings,” he also wrote on social media after taking the sabbatical break.”

A year later, he returned to the IPL — but in a very different capacity, as chairman of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Following the successful acquisition of RCB, Aryaman reflected on the new chapter:

“It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media, and consumer businesses. Together, we will continue to Play Bold — on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”

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