Aditya Birla Group acquired the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 1.78 billion (more than Rs 16,000 crore) on Tuesday. However, a group of companies, consisting of Times of India Group, David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures and the US-based Blackstone investment group were there under the Aditya Birla Group.
However, the consortium also agreed the deal with United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of UK-Diageo plc, to buy a 100 percent stake of RCB – both the men’s and women’s (WPL) teams. Meanwhile, after the acquisition, Aryaman Birla will become the chairman of the franchise.
Who is Aryaman Birla?
Aryaman Birla is the son of Kumar Mangalam Birla, who is the chairperson of Aditya Birla Group. Aryaman is a former cricketer who also played for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket. However, he shared the dressing room with RCB captain Rajat Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer, the all-rounder who was bought by a massive Rs 7 crore in the IPL auction.
However, he also played nine first-class matches for Madhya Pradesh and smashed 414 runs, including one century against Bengal at the Eden Gardens. He also scored 36 runs in four List-A matches as well.
Aryaman Birla also enrolled in the IPL 2018 mega auction, and he was acquired by the Rajasthan Royals for Rs 30 lakh. However, he did not play a single match for the team and was released ahead of the 2020 season as well.
Meanwhile, it was around the same time that he took a ‘sabbatical’ from cricket to manage his ‘severe anxiety’.
“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,” Birla wrote on Instagram. “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.”
However, he did not return to cricket, and he is currently the director of the Aditya Birla Management Corporation Limited as well.
“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,” he concluded.
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