Rajat Patidar's Former Opening Partner Becomes RCB Chairman Amid Franchise Sale
New Leadership at Royal Challengers Bengaluru
In an unexpected turn of events, the former opening batsman of Rajat Patidar is set to take on the role of chairman for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). This transition comes as the franchise has been sold for an impressive $1.8 billion (approximately ₹16,924 crore at current exchange rates). The sale was initiated last year by Diageo, the parent company of United Spirits. A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group has acquired the team, which also includes American sports investor David Blitzer, the Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone. This acquisition marks RCB as the second-most expensive team ever sold in the IPL, following the Rajasthan Royals, which were purchased earlier today for $1.63 billion (around ₹15,328 crores).
From Cricketer to Chairman
Following the conclusion of the sale, it has been confirmed that Aryaman Birla will assume the position of chairman for RCB. Aryaman is the son of Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group, and has two sisters, Ananya and Advaitesha. He is a former cricketer who represented Madhya Pradesh in both formats of the game. During his career, Aryaman played nine first-class matches, accumulating 414 runs at an average of 27.60, including a century against Bengal at the renowned Eden Gardens. He also participated in four List-A matches, scoring 36 runs. Notably, RCB's current captain, Patidar, was his opening partner during both his First-Class and List A debuts.
Aryaman previously secured an IPL contract with the Rajasthan Royals, who signed him for ₹30 lakhs during the 2018 IPL Mega Auction. Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) also expressed interest in him. However, he did not get the opportunity to debut in the IPL, as he was not included in the playing XI and was released before the 2020 season. Following this, he announced a hiatus from cricket due to anxiety-related challenges. In a heartfelt social media statement in December 2019, Aryaman expressed, “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. I’ve felt trapped. I’ve 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. And so, I’ve decided to take an undefined sabbatical from cricket. This lovely sport is an integral part of my life and I hope to be back on the field when the time is right.”
The 28-year-old Aryaman Birla will officially take over the franchise's operations after the conclusion of the 2026 Indian Premier League season. Currently, he serves as the director of the Aditya Birla Management Corporation Limited.