He is the world's richest cricketer, despite retiring at the age of 22.

 He is the world's richest cricketer, despite retiring at the age of 22.

When you think of the "world's richest cricketer," whose name immediately comes to mind?

Chances are, you're thinking of an Indian cricket superstar—Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, or perhaps even Sachin Tendulkar. These players have earned substantial salaries playing for the national team, signed multi-crore contracts in the IPL, become global brand ambassadors, and invested in a variety of businesses. It's safe to say they have multiple income streams and considerable wealth.

But here's the surprising twist: the richest cricketer in India—or even the world—isn't Virat or Dhoni. It's someone who retired from professional cricket at just 22.

Yes, you read that right. This cricketer walked away from the game at an early age, and today, he is the owner of thousands of crores. You might assume he was an amateur cricketer who played for the love of the game, inheriting or building his wealth through business ventures.

In part, you'd be right. However, you're not entirely correct either. This cricketer made his fortune through business, yes, but he was also a professional player. In fact, he even scored a century in India's prestigious Ranji Trophy, the country's top domestic competition. And interestingly, he was once bought by an IPL team at auction.

Intrigued? Keep reading to find out who this mysterious cricketer is.

The cricketer in question is Aryaman Birla. As you might have guessed from his surname, he hails from the prominent Birla family, with his father being Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of India's largest business conglomerates.

However, Aryaman himself has shared in an interview with Cricinfo that, early in his cricket career, he was actually quite embarrassed by the "Birla" association. "When I started playing, people would recognize me by the second part of my name," he explained. "I would often hear people calling me 'Birla's son' or 'Birla's grandson.' It was frustrating. But over time, I've been able to shift that perception, and now people know me for my performances on the field instead."

Aryaman Birla was born in 1997 in Mumbai, but he spent much of his childhood in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, where the Aditya Birla Group operates a cement plant. Growing up with a passion for cricket, Aryaman quickly advanced through the junior ranks and made his way to the senior level.

He made his debut in India's prestigious Ranji Trophy in November 2017, representing Madhya Pradesh in a match against Odisha. Opening the innings alongside Rajat Patidar, Aryaman scored 16 runs off 67 balls in his first outing. The following year, he played a standout knock of 103 runs off 189 balls against Bengal at Eden Gardens. Over the course of his career, Aryaman appeared in 9 first-class matches, amassing 414 runs at an average of 27.60, including 1 century and 1 half-century. He also played four List 'A' matches during his brief professional cricket career.

In 2018, Aryaman Birla was bought by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL auction for Rs 30 lakh. However, despite being part of the squad, he never got the chance to play a match. Still, Aryaman found satisfaction in the fact that his identity as a cricketer had started to take root. "When someone came up to me and said, 'You're such a simple person. I didn't even know you were from the Birla family,' it felt like I had managed to change how people saw me," he shared.

Rajasthan Royals kept Aryaman on the bench for two consecutive seasons, and in November 2019, they released him without him having played a single match. Earlier that year, Aryaman had also faced setbacks due to injury, further limiting his time on the field. In December 2019, he made the decision to step away from the game entirely. Posting on Instagram, he wrote, "We all have our own journey. I want to understand myself now, think about everything with an open mind, and see what I can discover."

During this break, Aryaman shifted his focus to the family business—and that break, it seems, never really ended.

In 2023, Aryaman Birla took on a key role in the family business, joining the Aditya Birla Group as a director at Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited. He also holds director positions at Aditya Birla Management Corporation and Grasim Industries. With this move, Aryaman has transitioned into a full-time businessman.

As reported by the Indian Express, Aryaman's net worth is estimated to be a staggering Rs 70,000 crore, making him the richest cricketer in India. No other current or former cricketer in the country comes close to this wealth, with even cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar having a net worth around Rs 1,450 crore. In comparison, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli's net worth still falls below Rs 1,000 crore.

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