Virat Kohli set to join athleisure firm Agilitas as investor after conclusion of Puma’s 110 Cr deal

Virat Kohli, the star Indian batsman, will join local sportswear and athleisure company Agilitas as a brand ambassador and investor, ending his eight-year affiliation with German company Puma.

While Kohli is currently playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the upcoming IPL 2025 season, an official announcement on the deal is anticipated.

Before or around May 25, when the IPL ends, the news is probably going to be released.

Beginning in 2017, the 36-year-old’s collaboration with Puma, valued at around INR 110 crore, rose to prominence as one of India’s most well-known athlete-brand partnerships. The termination of the association was verified by a Puma spokeswoman.

“PUMA wishes Virat luck in his future ambitions and stated that it was a great relationship with him that lasted for many years, with many exceptional ads and innovative product partnerships.

Although he wants to establish a global business from India, Puma returned to Kohli with an offer to keep the cricket player. According to CNBC-TV18, Puma stated that it will “continue to actively invest in the next generation of athletes and aggressively build the future of the sporting ecosystem in India” as a sports brand.

The growth narrative of Agilitas will be significantly influenced by the brand: The source

A change in the batting maestro’s brand strategy is shown in his new collaboration with Agilitas, which was established in 2023 by former Puma India and South-East Asia MD Abhishek Ganguly. As part of an ongoing partnership, he is anticipated to purchase stock in the business and promote its goods. Previously, the business obtained the licensing rights for the Italian brand Lotto in Australia, South Africa, and India in addition to raising INR 100 crore from Nexus Venture Partners.

It has been reported that Kohli decided to work with Agilitas in order to grow his own company, One8. The task of growing and dispersing One8’s presence in India and abroad will fall to Agilitas.

“The brand will play a big role in Agilitas’s development. The main goal is to make One8 a well-known worldwide brand for athletics and footwear. There isn’t a forward-thinking sportswear company in India. According to a source close to the matter, One8 will relaunch and have a new brand identity, Mint was informed.

In an effort to rebrand digitally before the Agilitas announcement, Kohli recently made waves by deleting any brand-related promotional content from his Instagram grid and relocating such posts to the reels area.