Aryaman Birla, Rajat Patidar’s ex-teammate now becomes RCB Chairman:Played for Rajasthan Royals in 2018, to owning IPL’s richest franchise

A consortium comprising Indian and global business entities took over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in an all-cash deal valued at USD 1.78 billion (approximately INR 16,706 crore) on Tuesday, establishing one of the most expensive franchise acquisitions in cricket history. However, amid all of the one of the biggest cricket transaction talks, the highlight was the new chairman of RCB, Aryaman Birla, who not only holds expertise in business but has a professional cricket background as well. Who is Aryaman Birla? Aryaman, son of billionaire industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, had once pursued a professional cricketing career before transitioning into business leadership. Aryaman left Mumbai at the early age of 17 to pursue opportunities in Madhya Pradesh cricket. However, it was a new sport to him as he had earlier played in England with West Hampstead Cricket Club and the London Schools Cricket Association under former Middlesex cricketer Paul Weekes. Aryaman’s cricket career His domestic breakthrough came in 2017 with his Ranji Trophy debut. A year earlier, he left an impact in the CK Nayudu Trophy as he stayed atop the run charts. In that tournament, he scored 602 runs at an average of 75.25, including three centuries in nine innings. Across nine first-class matches, eight of them in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. Over 16 innings, he scored 414 runs, including a gritty ton against Bengal at Eden Gardens that led his side to a draw. During that period, he even shared the dressing room with RCB skipper Rajat Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer. In 2018, Rajasthan Royals acquired him, but he did not feature in a game across two seasons. Then in December 2019, at the age of 22, Aryaman announced an indefinite break from cricket, citing severe anxiety related to the sport. Aryaman Birla’s return to cricket with a mask of business After his break from cricket, Aryaman entered the corporate world. He eventually took on leadership roles within the Aditya Birla Group. Notably, Aryaman holds an MBA (Honours) from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in Global Finance from Bayes Business School, and a Commerce degree from the University of Mumbai. Currently, he is serving on the board of the Aditya Birla Management Corporation and holds directorship roles in key group companies, including Grasim Industries and Aditya Birla Fashion Retail. After a long seven years of waiting, he is returning to professional cricket in a leadership capacity. While saying in his statement post RCB deal finalisation, Aryaman said, “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. Together, we will continue to Play Bold, on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.” New group of entities buys RCB for 16 times the original value The buying group that finalised the agreement with existing owners United Spirits Limited (USL), includes the Aditya Birla Group, Blackstone’s perpetual private equity arm BXPE, Bolt Ventures led by David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India Group. Although the deal is finalised, it is yet to get approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, following which the consortium will formally assume control of the franchise. Also Read: RCB sold for ₹16,706 crore ahead of IPL 2026:Ex-RR player becomes chairman RCB was acquired by Vijay Mallya in 2008 for $111.6 million. At the time, this figure amounted to ₹446 crore in Indian currency. However, based on conversion rates from March 2026, this value stands at ₹1,050 crore. This implies that RCB’s valuation has surged nearly 16-fold over a span of 19 years. In 2016, RCB was acquired by the company USL. Now, 10 years later, the team has found a new owner.