India national cricket team star Virat Kohli is the subject of a tussle between sportswear brands Puma and Agilitas Sports, says the rumour mill. Kohli has a long-standing partnership with Puma, with whom he has launched his personal brand One8, but, as per CNBC, is looking to terminate the relationship in a bid to sign with Agilitas Sports Pvt Ltd. (More Cricket News)
A new player in the sportswear market, Agilitas Sports Pvt Ltd is the brainchild of former Puma India managing director Abhishek Ganguly and, despite its nascent existence, is growing rapidly. Per the report, Kohli's reported agreement with the brand would not only see endorse it but also own a stake in the company.
Those reports, however, were quickly qushed by Puma India's current managing director Karthik Balagopalan who simply claimed that “PUMA’s relationship with Virat Kohli is long-standing and continues.”
A key member of the India national cricket team, Kohli is on a brief sabbatical at the time of writing due to personal matters. The star batter was not part of the India squad that took on England in the first two Test matches in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, respectively, and is expected to sit out the games in Rajkot and Ranchi, too.
While neither Kohli nor any of his representatives have provided a reason for his absence, ex-South Africa cricket AB de Villiers revealed that he and his wife, Bollywood's Anushka Sharma, are expecting a second child.
