Mallika Sagar Wiki, Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Mallika Sagar is a renowned Indian auctioneer and art connoisseur. She became the first female to conduct an Indian Premier League auction in December 2023.

Wiki/Biography

Mallika Sagar was born on Sunday, 3 August 1975 (age 48 years; as of 2023) in Mumbai. Her zodiac sign is Leo. After studying in Mumbai till Class 10, she moved to the US, where she attended a boarding school in Connecticut for Classes 11 and 12. She first became interested in auctioneering as a teenager in Mumbai after reading a book where the main character was a female auctioneer. In 1998, she earned a degree in the History of Art from Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia. She did a thesis on modern Indian artists. Thereafter, she worked at the art and luxury business Christie’s for two years, first in Mumbai and then in New York. At that time, Christie’s then-India representative was moving away. Therefore, Christie’s enrolled Mallika in its graduate training program to prepare her to replace the former representative. Later, she moved back to India.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 4″

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Parents & Siblings

Her father, Virenchee Vithalbhai Sagar, was a businessman.

Her brother, Kunal Sagar, is also a businessman and Executive Vice Chairman at Nirlon Limited. Her brother, Rahul Sagar, is also a businessman and Executive Director at Nirlon Limited. She has an elder sister, Maneesha R. Bhat.

Husband & Children

Mallika Sagar was married to Vir Advani, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Blue Star Ltd. Together, they have a son. They got divorced in 2017.

Relationships/Affairs

After separating from Advani, she started dating Ashish Goel, fashionista Surily Goel’s brother.

Career

A few months after her graduation, Mallika joined the international art and luxury company Christie’s. In December 2000, she conducted her first auction in New York in which she sold baseball souvenirs. In 2001, at the age of 26, she became the first woman of Indian origin to become an auctioneer at Christie’s in New York City. In 2004, she left Christie’s and spent a year looking after her unwell mother. Thereafter, she started her own practice as an art consultant. In April 2011, she conducted her first art auction at Mumbai’s Pundole Art Gallery. Thereafter, she conducted various modern and contemporary art auctions.

In 2011, she became a director of Manisha Trading And Investments Private Limited. On 22 August 2016, she became a designated partner at Fulmala Enterprises LLP. Apart from that, she also holds a directorship in the companies Fudavis Trading Private Limited and Garware Technical Fibres Limited. Sagar’s first time as a sports auctioneer was in 2021 when she became the first woman to auction for the Pro Kabaddi League..

In February 2023, she served as the auctioneer for the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

On 19 December 2023, she made headlines for becoming the first female to conduct an auction in the history of IPL. She conducted the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2024 auction in Dubai, which featured 333 players competing for 77 available slots.

Facts/Trivia

• Once Mallika shared that she struggled to get financial aid as an international student in her first year. She then transferred to Bryn Mawr College, where she received nearly a full scholarship.

• After her marriage to Vir Advani, she came to be known as Mallika Sagar Advani.

• After his divorce from Mallika, Advani started dating Ria Talati, architect Noshir Talati’s daughter.

• Mallika became the auctioneer for the 2024 IPL because the previous auctioneer Hugh Edmeades had health issues. He collapsed during an auction because of “postural hypotension.”

• In an interview, she said that Edmeades was the one who introduced her to auctioneering in Indian sports. Hugh had approached her to be his backup for the IPL 2021 auction.

• During the 2024 IPL auction, there was confusion when Punjab Kings mixed up two players with the same name from different cities. They tried to tell Sagar they didn’t want the player they got, but she had already finalized the sale with her gavel. Sagar said the auction rules had to be followed.

• During the 2024 IPL auction, she made another mistake by calling Gujarat Titans as Gujarat Giants. The Gujarat Giants are a kabaddi team in the Pro Kabaddi League.

• She has worked for various charities and NGOs to raise money through auctions with no commercial interest.