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Fact Check: Is Virat Kohli Really Ending 8-Year Rs 110 Crore Deal With PUMA? Find Out
A report surfaced on Wednesday suggesting that Virat Kohli is all set to end his 8-year-long ties with Puma. Read on to know more on the same.
Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli is hitting headlines again as a recent report claimed that he is all set to break his eight-year-long partnership with the sports shoes and apparel brand PUMA.
Virat Kohli to dissociate with PUMA?
The ace Indian cricketer had signed a deal for a whopping amount of Rs 110 crores with PUMA in the year 2017, which marked the first-ever association of an Indian sportsperson with one single sports brand. Kohli’s admiration among Indian fans was a significant reason behind the brand’s increasing popularity in India. The report that surfaced on Wednesday, however, claimed that the deal would no longer exist as Virat was ready to end his association with the brand.
The cricketer, who missed out on the first two Tests from the ongoing India vs England Test series citing personal reasons, felt it was a “privilege” to join hands with PUMA when he signed the deal. “It’s a privilege to be part of a great list of athletes that PUMA has. Not just today’s icons like Usain Bolt but also the brand’s rich history with Pele, Maradona, Thierry Henry, and others,” he had said back in 2017. 
Virat Kohli and Agilitas Sports to join hands?
The report, which surfaced on Wednesday, suggested that the star Indian cricketer is planning to join hands with Agilitas Sports, a sports footwear brand established by Abhishek Ganguly, former Managing Director of PUMA India, in May 2023.
It further stated that the deal with Agilitas didn’t just involve the cricketer becoming the face of the brand but he would also hold a stake in the company. However, no official statement from Agilitas has been recorded yet.
PUMA India responds
Puma India, on the other hand, has refuted such claims. The Managing Director of PUMA India, Karthik Balagopalan, stressed that the partnership remains unbroken and is still intact. “PUMA’s relationship with Virat Kohli is long-standing and continues,” he stated.
Virat Kohli’s absence from IND vs ENG Tests
Citing personal reasons, Virat has been out of cricketing action as he missed the first two Tests against England in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam respectively. Not revealing any further, BCCI had requested to “respect his privacy” and not deliberate further on the nature of personal reasons.
However, it was later revealed by Kohli’s former Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate and his dearest friend, AB de Villiers that the former skipper and wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child. “Yes, his second child is on the way. Yes, it's family time and things are important to him,” said the former South African cricketer.
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