Royal Challengers Bangalore has announced a long-term kit deal with Puma. The franchise announced the association with global sportswear manufacturer through a video featuring Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Devdutt Padikkal on Tuesday.
When powerhouses join forces to compete. It’s gonna be an amazing ride @pumacricket.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #RCBxPUMA pic.twitter.com/g0JDdXaAwv
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 30, 2021
The deal with Puma will come into effect from IPL 2021. It will be creating the new jersey for the season and have its logo on the kit. Moreover, Puma will also be getting a share from the sale of RCB jerseys if it is a straightforward deal like other kit deals in different sports.
It is a massive coup for RCB since Puma is one of the biggest players in the sportswear manufacturing market. The latest trend has seen various top footballers switching from Nike to Puma. Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian star Neymar Jr was the biggest player to join Puma in the last few months.
Puma’s association with RCB doesn’t come as a surprise since Virat Kohli already has a long-term association with the sports brand. Kohli is likely to be part of various commercials that will promote Puma and RCB during the course of this deal. The Indian captain has posted cryptic messages with AB de Villiers on social media platforms in the build-up to this announcement.
Kohli has enjoyed a great season with India as they managed to beat England across all formats. The Indian captain has been in fine form even though he is yet to score a century since 2019. RCB will be hoping that Kohli breaks that duck in the next two months and help the franchise to finally lift the IPL title. Kohli is expected to join up RCB squad later this week. Bangalore will begin their campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians on April 9 in MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.