Who is Aryaman Birla? Former RR Player Emerges as Front-Runner for RCB Chairman

IPL 2026 is about to start. But before that, a big story has come out. RCB has got a new chairman. And he is not a regular businessman. He is a former cricketer. He once played domestic cricket. He was even part of the RR squad.

His name is Aryaman Birla. Son of Kumar Mangalam Birla. He is 28 years old. And now he will lead one of the biggest IPL franchises.

The deal happened on March 24. Barely 4 days before the tournament’s start. A consortium bought RCB for $1.78 billion. That is around Rs 16,600 crore. Aryaman will serve as chairman. Let’s know more about this young leader in today’s Spin24Star story.

About RCB New Chairman Aryaman Birla

Aryaman Vikram Birla was born on 9 July 1997 in Mumbai. He is the child of Mangalam. His father heads the Aditya Birla Group. The family is one of the richest in India. His wealth is near Rs 70k cr. That is 70 times more than Virat Kohli.

But Aryaman did not just sit on family wealth. He carved his own path. He studied commerce from Mumbai University. Then he did an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also has a Master’s in Global Finance from Bayes Business School.

He is currently the director at Aditya Birla Management Corporation. He also sits on the boards of Grasim Industries and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail.

Cricket Career of Aryaman Birla

Aryaman started playing cricket young. He played for Hampstead Cricket Club in England. Then he came back to India and played for Madhya Pradesh.

He made his first-class debut in November 2017. In his debut match, he opened with Rajat Patidar. Same Rajat Patidar, who now captains RCB. That is a small connection.

In 2018, he scored his maiden century. It came against Bengal at Eden Gardens. He remained not out on 103. Also read about SRH Camp Gets Big Boost: Cummins Cleared & Set for IPL 2026

Connection with RR Team

In the 2018 IPL auction, RR bought Aryaman for Rs 30 lakh. He was part of the squad for two seasons, 2018 and 2019. But he has not once gotten to participate in any game. He warmed the bench for two years.

In December 2019, he announced a break from cricket. He wrote on Instagram about 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,” he said.

RR released him ahead of the 2020 auction. He never returned to professional cricket.

Cricket Stats of Aryaman Birla

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	100/50
First-Class	9	414	27.60	1/1
List A	4	36	9.00	0/0

His highest first-class score is 103 not out against Bengal. He also played age-group cricket. In the CK Nayudu Trophy, he scored 602 runs at an average of 75.25 with three centuries.

RCB Became Most Valuable Team of IPL

The RCB sale happened on March 24. A consortium of four groups bought the franchise:

Aditya Birla Group – led by Kumar Mangalam Birla
Times of India Group – media giant
Bolt Ventures – owned by David Blitzer (also owns stakes in Crystal Palace, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils)
Blackstone – a global private equity firm

The price was $1.78 billion. That is almost Rs 16,600 crore. For context, RCB was bought in 2008 for $111.6 million by Vijay Mallya. That is nearly 16 times the appreciation.

The deal includes both the men’s team and the women’s team (WPL). The consortium outbid others. Adar Poonawala of Serum Institute and Aditya Mittal of ArcelorMittal were also in the race.

After the deal, Aryaman gave a statement. “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.

Conclusion

Aryaman Birla’s journey is interesting. He was a cricketer once. He played domestic cricket. He was part of RR but never got a game. Then he stepped away due to mental health issues.

Now he returns to IPL. Not as a player. But as chairman of the most valuable franchise. RCB won their first title last year. They are defending champions this year. Aryaman takes charge at a good time.

He knows the game from the inside. He has played with some of the current RCB players. That understanding might help. His father said the group is committed to building on RCB’s legacy.

For now, all eyes will be on the new chairman. How he shapes RCB’s future remains to be seen. For more such cricket stories, keep following Spin24Star.

FAQs

1) Who is Aryaman Birla?

Ans: Aryaman Birla is the new chairman of RCB. He is the child of Mangalam and a former cricketer who played for Madhya Pradesh.

2) Did Aryaman Birla play in the IPL?

Ans: He was bought by RR in 2018 for Rs 30 lakh, but never played a match. He was part of the squad for two seasons.

3) Why did Aryaman Birla leave cricket?

Ans: He took a break in December 2019 due to severe anxiety related to the sport. He wrote about feeling trapped and needing to focus on mental health.