Virat Kohli to partner with Agilitas as Puma deal ends

Star cricketer Virat Kohli is set to join sports athleisure firm Agilitas as an investor, multiple people aware of the matter said, with his eight-year contract worth around ₹110 crore with German sportswear giant Puma coming to an end.

- Venkat Ananth & Suneera Tandon

An announcement in this respect is likely during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Agilitas was founded in 2023 by former Puma India and South-East Asia managing director Abhishek Ganguly. The company makes and retails sportswear goods in India and abroad. Last year, Agilitas acquired long-term licence rights for sports brand Lotto in India, Australia, and South Africa.

At the heart of Kohli's switch to Agilitas is his ambition to grow One8, his lifestyle brand launched in 2017. Agilitas will distribute and scale the One8 brand by opening more stores and expanding abroad leveraging the cricketer's popularity.

"The brand will be a significant part of Agilitas's growth story," one of the people cited above said. "It's all about turning One8 into a global brand—footwear, sportswear. India does not have an aspirational sportswear brand. There will be a new brand identity and relaunch for One8."

A Puma India spokesperson confirmed Kohli's departure, wishing him "the best for his future endeavours". The brand said it was a wonderful association with him spanning over several years, many outstanding campaigns, and path-breaking product collaborations. "As a sports brand, Puma will continue to actively invest in the next generation of athletes and aggressively build the future of the sporting ecosystem in India."

Since his deal ended, Kohli has scrubbed his social media of most Puma-related posts. Agilitas did not respond to Mint's emailed queries. Kohli did not respond to text messages.

"Puma went back to Kohli with an offer to retain the cricketer, but he wants to build a global company from India," the person cited earlier said.