IPL 2026: Ex-Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Royals opener Aryaman Birla had become the chairman of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday, post the Aditya Birla Group, the Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone's perpetual private equity strategy had bought the team. Under the new ownership structure, Aryaman, the director of the Aditya Birla group, would be the chairman, while Satyan Gajwani from the Times Group would serve as the vice-chairman.
David Blitzer, founder of Bold Ventures, and Viral Patel, CEO of BXPE, also joined the consortium.
Aryaman, son of Kumar Mangalam Birla and chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group, previously played domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh. He played alongside Rajat Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer, who fetched Rs 7 crore at last year’s auction.
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Aryaman made his first-class debut as an opener against Odisha in 2017, alongside Patidar. His first-class career lasted one year, ending with a match against Andhra Pradesh in 2019. He scored 414 runs in nine matches at an average of 27.6, including one century and one fifty.
He made his List A debut against Hyderabad in 2018. His List A career lasted one week, ending with a match against Saurashtra. He scored 36 runs in three matches, averaging 12.
He registered for the IPL 2018 auction and was picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 30 lakh, but did not play a match and was released before IPL 2020.
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“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," Birla had written on his official Instagram account at that time.