The Aditya Birla Group-led consortium has acquired Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a record-breaking $1.78 billion deal, the most expensive in IPL history. Former cricketer Aryaman Vikram Birla has been appointed as the new chairman, marking a significant leadership change for the franchise.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru has been officially taken over by the Aditya Birla Group-led consortium from United Spirits, the Indian arm of Diageo, for a whopping $1.78 billion (INR 16,739 crore), making it the most expensive franchise deal in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The change of ownership took place on Monday, March 24, four days before the RCB begin its title quest against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Aditya Birla Group, alongside American entrepreneur David Blitzer, Times of India Group, and Blackstone, formed a consortium to outbid a group led by Ranjan Pai, backed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Temasek, and another consortium involving EQT and Premji Invest to secure the ownership of the RCB.
Following the RCB’s maiden IPL triumph last year, United Spirits, the Indian arm of he Indian arm of Diageo, had put the franchise for sale by filing a disclosure and initiating a strategic review of its investment in Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, signalling a potential full or partial exit from the team.
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Aryaman Vikram Birla Takes Over as RCB Chairman
Alongside the acquisition of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the consortium, led by Aditya Birla Group, announced the ownership structure of the franchise. The existing owners will step aside, as the RCB has now come under the stewardship of the Aditya Birla-led consortium.
Aryaman Vikram Birla has been appointed as the chairman of the franchise. In fact, the former Rajasthan Royals cricketer led the consortium to successfully acquire the team, given his experience as a professional cricketer and his role as Director at Aditya Birla Group, combining his cricket insights and business acumen to guide the men’s and women’s teams of the franchise.
Apart from Aryaman, Times Internet chairman Satyan Gajwani will take on the role of vice chairman. The key consortium partners, including David Blitzer and Viral Patel playing strategic roles in shaping the future of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
RCB was initially owned by Vijay Mallya through United Spirits, which had acquired the franchise during the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, before its ownership later passed under Diageo following its takeover of United Spirits.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (formerly known as Royal Challengers Bangalore) has evolved into one of the most valuable and widely followed franchises in the history of IPL, boasting a massive global fanbase and achieving its maiden title triumph in 2025.
From RR Cricketer to Chairman of RCB
Aryaman Vikram Birla’s journey from being a professional cricketer to becoming the chairman of one of the biggest, most valuable, and successful IPL franchises is quite fascinating and reflects a rare blend of sporting and corporate expertise.
Despite being the son of industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aryaman carved out his own path, combining his experience as a professional cricketer with corporate leadership at the Aditya Birla Group. Aryaman Vikram Birla played for Madhya Pradesh in List A and Ranji Trophy. In his First-Class Cricket career, the 28-year-old has aggregated 414 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 27.60 in 16 innings.
Aryaman Birla was once part of the India U23 camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru back in 2018.
In the IPL, Aryaman was acquired by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 30 lakhs at the 2019 auction, but didn’t get a single match and was released ahead of the 2020 season. In December 2019, the young cricketer decided to take a sabbatical from the sport due to anxiety and mental health-related issues.
Aryaman Birla’s last appearance in competitive cricket was in Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy match against Andhra in Indore in January 2019. Thereafter, Aryaman stepped away from cricket without any confirmation whether he would return to professional play.
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How Did Aryaman Birla Venture Into Corperate World?
Being the son of Mangalam Kumar Birla, who heads the Aditya Birla Group, Aryman Birla naturally stepped into the corporate world. After taking a sabbatical from professional cricket in 2019, Aryaman shifted his focus toward his family business, which was founded in 1857 by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla and has grown over generations into the global conglomerate it is today, spanning sectors like textiles, metals, cement, telecom, and finance.
Aryaman was inducted as a director of the key boards of the Aditya Birla Group, including Grasim Industries, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL), and Hindalco Industries. Apart from being a director, the 28-year-old championed new initiatives, Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality and the capital arm of ABG, Aditya Birla Ventures.
Aryaman Vikram Birla earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master’s in Global Finance from Bayes Business School, further strengthening his corporate and financial expertise.
Now, Aryaman Vikram Birla has transitioned from being an aspiring cricketer to the director of the key boards of the Aditya Birla Group and chairman of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He is the second-youngest chairman of the IPL franchise after Keshav Bansal, who took over as the chairman of the Gujarat Lions at the age of 24 in 2016.
Aryaman Vikram Birla has stepped into the franchise T20 league as a young leader, combining his cricketing experience and business acumen to guide RCB’s growth on and off the field.