A consortium that comprises the Aditya Birla Group, the Times of India Group, David Blizter-led Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone on Tuesday acquired defending IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for a whopping $1.78 billion (approximately ₹16,600 crore).
This news comes as a big boost for RCB, who begin their IPL 2026 campaign on Saturday (28 March) with a home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
This deal makes RCB the costliest-ever franchise in IPL history. United Spirits, a subsidiary of British beverage company Diageo, confirmed the sale of RCB via a statement.
By doing so, RCB surpassed Rajasthan Royals (RR), who had been acquired by a consortium led by US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani for $1.63 billion (approximately ₹15,290 crore) earlier on Tuesday.
Following the acquisition, former cricketer Aryaman Birla will become the chairman of RCB.
Who is Aryaman Birla? Aryaman Birla is the son of Kumar Mangalam Birla, who is the chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group. He was born on 9 July 1997 in Mumbai and is a former professional cricketer, having played first-class cricket for Madhya Pradesh.
When he was 17, Aryaman left his home in Mumbai and moved to Madhya Pradesh to pursue opportunities in cricket. He made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match against Odisha in November 2017.
This was after he gained experience playing cricket with West Hampstead Cricket Club and the London Schools Cricket Association, having played under former Middlesex cricketer Paul Weekes.
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In nine first-class matches, the 28-year-old has scored 414 runs at an average of 27.60, including a 50 and a 100. He has also played four List-A matches, from which he has scored 36 runs.
In the U-23 CK Nayudu Trophy during the 2017-18 domestic season, the left-handed batter scored 602 runs from nine innings at an average of 75.25. This also included three centuries.
RR acquired him in the IPL 2018 player auction. However, he did not play a single game and was released ahead of the 2020 season. In December 2019, Aryaman announced that he was quitting professional cricket, saying that he had been coping with "severe anxiety" because of the game.
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"It's been a journey of hard work, perseverance, dedication and immense courage to get to this point in my cricket career. However, I've been coping with severe anxiety related to the sport for a while now," he had said in a statement back then.
"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 added.
He is currently serving on the board of Aditya Birla Management Corporation, and is involved in leadership roles with sister companies, including Grasim Industries and Aditya Birla Fashion.