Virat Kohli's long-time association with sports apparel giant Puma has ended, according to several reports. "Sports brand PUMA India confirms the end of its longtime partnership with cricketer and brand ambassador Virat Kohli. PUMA wishes Virat the best for his future endeavours and 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," a Puma spokesperson reportedly said.
According to a report in livemint.com, Kohli is going to join sports athleisure firm Agilitas. According to the report, "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 Italian sports brand Lotto in India, Australia, and South Africa."
The report further claimed: "Virat Kohli is reportedly in talks to invest in Agilitas after concluding his eight-year contract with Puma. The announcement is expected soon, coinciding with the IPL, as Kohli aims to create a global sportswear identity."
Virat Kohli has emphasised how the IPL's format and dynamic structure have influenced his T20 game.
While speaking on Jio Hotstar, Kohli highlighted the unique mental and competitive challenges of the IPL and emphasised its dynamic nature compared to shorter bilateral series.
He described how the constantly changing points table created different kinds of pressure, whether it was maintaining a lead, bouncing back from a slump, or battling for a playoff spot. This dynamic environment pushed players to adapt and evolve their T20 skills, ultimately driving them to improve constantly.
"IPL challenges you in a very unique way because of how the tournament is structured. It's not like a short bilateral series; it spans several weeks, and your position on the points table keeps shifting. That constantly changing scenario brings different kinds of pressure. When you are at the top, there's the pressure to maintain that lead. If you're near the bottom, you need extra motivation to bounce back. And if you're somewhere in the middle, where you need to win, say, three out of five games, even a single loss can suddenly add a lot of pressure. This dynamic nature of the tournament pushes you mentally and competitively in various ways other formats don't. It's also driven me to improve and evolve my T20 skill set constantly," Virat Kohli said while speaking on '18 Calling 18' on JioHotstar.
With ANI inputs