Retired Indian first-class cricketer Aryaman Birla is set to come full circle by bidding for a stake in his former IPL team, the Rajasthan Royals.
Aditya Birla Group has partnered with the owners of the NBL side, the Philadelphia 76ers, to acquire a share of the franchise.
RR is one of the two franchises that have been put up for sale ahead of IPL 2026, alongside RCB. Manoj Badale holds a majority 65 percent stake in the team through his company, Emerging Media Ventures. Badale, who has been in a lead role at the franchise since the inaugural 2008 season, is joined by American firm RedBird Capital, which owns 15 percent, and Lachlan Murdoch, who owns 13 percent.
The current owners are giving up their share in the highly profitable IPL franchise, primarily to 'capitalize' on the unprecedented surge in the league's valuation. With the team valued at around $1.1 billion (approx. INR 9,200 crores), several major business entities have jumped at the opportunity.
Avram Glazer's Lancer Capital, owners of football club Manchester United; Capri Global, owners of WPL side UP Warriorz; the Times of India Group; and Arizona-based entrepreneur Kal Somani have all submitted bids.
However, Aditya Birla Group has reportedly teamed up with NBL investor David Blitzer's BOLT Ventures to form a joint consortium, submitting a bid for a majority stake in RR. Sources also suggest that Aryaman Birla is involved, having reportedly held discussions with the Blitzer family. He is the son of Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, and he is expected to lead the consortium during the bidding process, set to conclude on March 15.
The Birla scion's reported interest in a stake bid for Rajasthan Royals appears to be driven by his love for the franchise. He, in fact, played for the Men in Pink during the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons, having been bought in the auction for INR 30 lakhs. Although he was a prolific run-scorer for Madhya Pradesh before joining the IPL, Birla did not manage to make his debut for the team, spending his time on the bench.
At just 22 years old, Aryaman Birla had announced his retirement from professional cricket in 2019, citing 'severe anxiety' as a reason. While he referred to it as an 'indefinite sabbatical', Birla never returned to play the game, before transitioning into a full-time leadership role at Aditya Birla Group.
Rajasthan Royals are preparing to step into the 2026 IPL season with a host of new developments. The team is set to compete under the leadership of a newly appointed captain, Riyan Parag, and will be guided by a new owner once the bidding process concludes.
RR began a complete squad overhaul ahead of the 2026 auction, acquiring Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran in a trade deal from CSK, and Donovan Ferreira in exchange for Nitish Rana with DC. However, the franchise had to part ways with veteran batter Sanju Samson. Rajasthan made some big acquisitions in the auction, with their most expensive signing being Ravi Bishnoi for a whopping INR 7.2 crores.
Coming to their playing XI for the 2026 IPL season, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal are expected to retain their opening spots, followed by skipper Riyan Parag at no.3. West Indies' batter Shimron Hetmyer is set to come out at no.4, and wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel at no.6. Sam Curran, Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja might be the three all-rounders who complete the batting order.
In bowling, Englishman Jofra Archer will lead the line for Rajasthan Royals. The bowling attack will be complemented by new signing Ravi Bishnoi, experienced pacer Sandeep Sharma, and one of either Yudhvir Singh Charak or Tushar Deshpande.
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