Virat Kohli's ₹300 Crore Decision: How One8 Became His Biggest Business Gamble

Virat Kohli rejected a reported ₹300 crore Puma offer to build One8 into a global Indian sportswear brand. Discover how his investment in Agilitas Sports is creating a new business legacy.

Virat Kohlis ₹300 Crore Decision: How One8 Became His Biggest Business Gamble (Image Source: Google)

Recently, a video went viral on social media in which Virat Kohli was not talking about cricket but passionately discussing a pair of shoes. There was naturally a story behind it. The occasion was the launch of One8's dedicated footwear collection, a significant milestone in Kohli's dream of building a global sportswear brand from India. Virat is no longer merely the face of the brand; he is an investor, co-creator and strategic decision-maker. Early sales, according to industry reports, have exceeded expectations.  

The brand has already found acceptance among international cricketers. During the recent ODI series against India, Jos Buttler was seen wearing One8 cricket spikes featuring two gold rings forming the figure '8' on the side and the 'One8' logo stitched on the tongue.  

One8, however, is not a new brand. It was launched by Puma in 2017 as Virat Kohli's signature lifestyle label. The name represents not only Kohli's jersey number 18 but also his philosophy of becoming "one with yourself" through discipline and fitness. The range gradually expanded to include sportswear, casual apparel, accessories, fragrances, backpacks and other lifestyle products designed around Kohli's personality rather than simply carrying his name.  

For years, the Puma-Virat partnership was among the most lucrative endorsement deals in Indian sport. When the agreement came up for renewal in 2025, Puma reportedly offered nearly ₹300 crore for another eight years. To the surprise of the sporting and business worlds, Kohli declined the offer and instead joined hands with Agilitas Sports, an Indian sportswear company founded by former Puma India Managing Director Abhishek Ganguly.  

It was a gamble worth at least ₹300 crore, but Kohli's thinking reflected a masterclass in entrepreneurship: endorsement income has a ceiling, while ownership creates long-term wealth. Rather than remaining a highly paid brand ambassador, he wanted to build a world-class Indian sportswear company capable of competing with global giants.  

The timing was equally significant. As Kohli's international career entered a new phase, he began preparing for another innings beyond cricket. He invested ₹40 crore in Agilitas Sports, acquiring a 1.94% stake through compulsorily convertible preference shares. Agilitas, in turn, acquired the One8 brand, with Kohli playing an active role in product development and brand strategy.  

Today, Kohli's role extends well beyond marketing. He is involved in design approvals, athlete testing, branding strategy and international expansion. During the development of the new footwear range, he reportedly rejected 17 prototypes before approving the eighteenth version, insisting that every product should meet his own standards as an elite athlete. As he put it, "If I won't wear the product myself, I cannot expect consumers to buy it."  The result is One8's first dedicated footwear collection featuring performance running shoes, training footwear, cricket spikes and lifestyle sneakers.

The flagship model, SEAM XVIII Signature Test Red, is priced at ₹9,230, a tribute to Kohli's Test career tally of 9,230 runs. Another model incorporates the red cricket ball into its design, reinforcing the brand's cricketing identity. At the launch, comedian Danish Sait joked that Kohli should return to Test cricket simply to increase his run tally—and perhaps justify a higher price for the shoe.  

Kohli's entrepreneurial ambitions extend well beyond One8. His business interests span fashion (WROGN), fitness (Chisel gyms), hospitality (One8 Commune and Nueva restaurants), sports franchises including FC Goa and Bengaluru Yodhas, and investments in companies such as Digit Insurance, Rage Coffee, MPL, Blue Tribe and Hyperice.  

Kohli is following a path successfully travelled by sporting icons like Roger Federer (On Running), Michael Jordan (Jordan Brand) and Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7), whose names evolved into enduring business enterprises rather than remaining endorsement labels. Through Agilitas Sports, Kohli hopes to build a "Made in India, for the world" sportswear brand instead of signing another lucrative contract with an international giant like Nike or Adidas.

The tagline "Never Done" could not be more appropriate. It captures not only the philosophy of One8 but also Virat Kohli himself. Even as one chapter of his cricketing career slows down, another—perhaps equally significant—has just begun. The sight of Jos Buttler and other international cricketers wearing One8 footwear, along with Smriti Mandhana sporting the brand during the recent Women's T20 World Cup, suggests that Kohli's dream is already stepping onto the global stage.