Page 57 - Avendus Huran Flipbook 2026
P. 57
Your father built Sun Group from a video magazine into one of You have said the whole household was obsessed with cricket
India’s largest media conglomerates; your mother is among growing up. What is your strongest childhood memory of those
India’s leading business leaders. How do you balance inheriting cricket-filled days, and how did that shape the way you now run
that entrepreneurial DNA with building a leadership style that’s franchises across leagues?
distinctly your own?
Cricket holds a special place for most of us in India. You grow
I am fortunate to inherit a strong entrepreneurial legacy, but I up with it as a part and parcel of your life. My household was
have always believed credibility must be earned, not inherited. no different. My best childhood memories were the tennis ball
My father has always pushed me to pave my own path, not cricket matches we played as a family every weekend. Watching
merely follow his. I take inspiration from my parents, but it’s the World Cup was also something I always looked forward to.
important to me that my leadership is distinct. My goal is Every boundary, every wicket felt like a personal victory. It taught
not to replicate what my father has built, but to add my own me very early on that cricket isn’t just a game but an emotion.
perspective and create value in today’s dynamic business That has shaped how we run our franchises: With the heart of a
landscape that is constantly evolving. fan first.
You have observed Sun TV evolve from a regional broadcaster You have spoken about starting with the logo, jersey and
to a diversified media network. What part of that marketing of Sunrisers and then getting pulled deeper into
transformation most influenced the kind of leader you aim operations. What were the first responsibilities that made you
to be? feel, “I am actually leading this now”?
I have seen Sun TV navigate multiple shifts in technology, For me, running a cricket team has never been about a single
audience behaviour and competition. The biggest learning moment where I felt, “I am leading this now.” You can’t think
that defines operations at Sun Group is to never be satisfied that way in this space. A franchise succeeds only when everyone
with status quo. The company has always been built on hard pulls together – from the manager, the captain, coaches and
work and the willingness to embrace change fearlessly, even even the marketing team. From day one, it has always been a
if it means disrupting ourselves. That resilience and ability collaborative effort, the same way it is on the field. It’s never
to reinvent continuously have shaped me as a leader. The about one player but rather a team of eleven. And off the field,
most important way of staying ahead of the curve is to create it’s no different.
a nurturing environment that empowers our employees to
harness their strengths and that is what I strive to do.
Uth Series 2025 • U35 Business Leaders | 55

