Cricketer Virat Kohli is selling his sportswear brand one8 to Agilitas Sports, the vertically integrated manufacturing-to-retail sports platform founded by Abhishek Ganguly. As part of the transaction, Kohli joins Agilitas as an investor and co-founder of one8. He will invest Rs 40 crore in Agilitas to acquire a minority stake in the company.
Agilitas operates across manufacturing, R&D, brand-building, and retail distribution. In 2023, the company acquired Mochiko Shoes, India’s largest sports footwear manufacturer, significantly strengthening its domestic and export capabilities.
one8 is a sportswear brand co-created by Kohli. The brand spans sportswear, apparel, footwear and accessories, blending on-field functionality with off-field style.
According to a statement by Agilitas, the collaboration between Kohli and Ganguly grew organically over the years, driven by mutual respect, shared discipline, and a deep-rooted connection to sport. “What began as informal conversations around building something original soon evolved into the creation of one8,” it said.
Kohli’s decision to sell one8 to Agilitas is rooted in strategic alignment and long-term brand vision. The company further said that while Kohli had the option to invest only in one8, he chose to instead become a shareholder in Agilitas, the holding group company, after witnessing its vertically integrated capabilities across manufacturing, design, R&D and nationwide distribution.
Kohli said: “My relationship with Abhishek grew very naturally, it was never forced. One day, while casually talking about my desire to build something of my own, he simply said, ‘Let’s go for it,’ and that’s how one8 began. Sport has shaped my entire life. Movement, comfort, and performance define everything for me, and that philosophy naturally translated into the brand. I always wanted a sports-first approach to style - where functionality, comfort and identity come together."
Ganguly said, “Together, we are building a high-performance brand from India, rooted in sports functionality, best-in-class quality and a very clear reason to exist - with the ambition to be globally meaningful over the next decade.”