From warming the bench to RCB chairman: Aryaman Birla’s Rs 16,660 crore comeback in IPL

From the dugout to the director's chair, Aryaman Vikram Birla has rewritten the script for what a 'cricketing career' can look like.

Born into the wealthy Birla family, Aryaman always wanted to create his own identity. Going from an IPL base-price player to the chairman of the $1.78 billion RCB franchise, Aryaman's journey is a cinematic journey that has come full circle most spectacularly.

It is an amazing reunion for Aryaman and Rajat Patidar, who once opened the batting for Madhya Pradesh, now lead the RCB representatives in different roles.

Escaping the shadows of his family's wealth, Aryaman shifted to Madhya Pradesh's Rewa to make his career in cricket. His dedication to the game earned him recognition in domestic cricket, and at just 19, he made a strong debut in Ranji.

In 2017, he made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh, opening the batting alongside none other than Rajat Patidar.

In 2018, his efforts started showing results and Aryaman’s cricketing graph hit a new high. He performed well in the Ranji, including a sensational knock of 103* against Bengal at Eden Gardens.

His performance caught the attention of the Rajasthan Royals, and he was rewarded with RR signing him for Rs 30 lakh. Although he spent the next two seasons and travelled extensively with the world’s best in the RR camp, he never made it to the playing XI.

In December 2019, Aryaman Birla made headlines for his bold decision. He announced his decision to walk away from his blooming cricket career to focus on his inner peace.

Despite his deep passion for the game, the 22-year-old announced on Instagram that he was taking an indefinite hiatus. "I felt trapped... I need to put my mental health and well-being above all else," he wrote in an emotional Instagram post.

He then went abroad and completed his higher studies.

Aryaman enrolled in the prestigious Harvard Business School and earned an MBA degree.

After polishing his leadership skills in his family business, Aryaman is making a grand return to the cricketing world.

After the record-breaking $1.78 billion takeover of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by the Aditya Birla Group in partnership with Blackstone and the Times Group, Aryaman returns to the cricketing fray as the newly appointed Chairman of RCB.