Calcutta: Aryaman Vikram Birla, the only son of top industrialist Kumar Mangalam (chairman of the Aditya Birla Group) and Neerja, will be seen in the Rajasthan Royals colours in IPL XI and beyond.
Twenty-year-old uncapped Aryaman had a base price of Rs 20 lakh at the auction and was bought by the Royals for Rs 30 lakh.
Kumar Mangalam's net worth has, incidentally, been estimated at $ 12.6 billion! In a way, then, Aryaman is worth that plus Rs 30 lakh more.
A Mumbaikar at heart, Aryaman has played one first-class match for Madhya Pradesh (MP).
Late on Tuesday, The Telegraph contacted Royals' co-owner Manoj Badale for his views on the buying of Aryaman.
Ranjit Barthakur is the Royals' chairman.
Excerpts...
Q Did Aryaman's family name play any role at all in his being bought by the Royals at the IPL auction for 2018-2020?
A The Birla family name had nothing at all to do with our decision. Zubin Bharucha, our head of cricket, and his scouting team had been impressed with Aryaman's performances at the U-23 level this season and he'd then been called for trials. Aryaman was impressive there too.
Q Aryaman had been prolific for MP in the CK Nayudu Trophy...
A Yes, three hundreds and a 230 as well... The Royals have always strived to invest in talent at different levels. We looked at the highest scorers this season and Aryaman was right at the top in the CK Nayudu Trophy with 795 runs. Such statistics helped us make our choices.
Q Your take on Aryaman?
A Well, Aryaman is an all-rounder who definitely adds value to the franchise.
Q Have you interacted at length with Aryaman and, if yes, then how does he come across?
A Aryaman comes across as a very dedicated and humble guy with real determination.
Q Moving away from Aryaman... Now that the auction is over, your thoughts on how the different franchises are placed?
A The atmosphere was tense at the auction... Every franchise worked hard to put together a competitive side, but I wouldn't comment on individual franchises. Most heartening is the emphasis being placed, across the board, on young players.
Q With top guns like Steve Smith (hottest candidate for the captaincy), Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler in the squad, not to speak of Jaydev Unadkat and Sanju Samson, is this squad one of your most formidable ever?
A It's too early to judge the quality of the squad, that would be done much later. Performance will matter, not anything else. However, my view is that it's a well-balanced squad.
Q Has the franchise decided on the head coach?
A No... We're currently working on structuring the coaching staff, though Zubin is our head of cricket.
Q The last one... The Royals have come back after a two-year suspension. Will the franchise's second innings in the IPL be different in terms of, say, the team culture and philosophy?
A Not at all... The Royals have always worked on an innovative strategy of blending young cricketers with experience. The tone set by the franchise's previous leaders, Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid, will be continued with.
