Virat Kohli turns 38: The star cricketer you know, the ace investor you don’t – 5 facts about One8-Agilitas Sports
As Virat Kohli celebrates his 38th birthday today, the focus is not only on the runs he continues to score in ODIs but also on a quiet business move that has strengthened his stake in Indian sportswear. Days before the landmark, the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal approved the merger of his brand One8 with Agilitas Sports, raising his holding from 1.8% to 6.4% without any new investment and making him the company’s second-largest individual shareholder after co-founder and CEO Abhishek Ganguly. Here are five facts about the deal and Kohli’s wider investments.
1. One8 began as a 2017 Puma partnership
Virat Kohli launched One8 in 2017 under a licensing arrangement with Puma. That deal later ended, and the brand moved to Agilitas Sports, a company co-founded in 2023 by Ganguly (former managing director of Puma India and Southeast Asia) along with former Puma executives Atul Bajaj and Amit Prabhu. The One8 name is also used for One8 Commune, a chain of restobars that started in Delhi. Kohli has remained co-founder and has been involved from the start in technology, materials and design.
2. NCLT-approved merger raised his stake to 6.4% with no new cash
The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal approved the merger of One8 Sports Private Limited into Agilitas Sports Private Limited. One8 is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Agilitas. Virat Kohli had earlier invested ₹40 crore in Agilitas. The merger alone increased his holding from 1.8% to 6.4%; he made no additional investment as part of the deal.
He continues as co-founder of One8 and stays involved in building the brand. The integration gives One8 access to Agilitas’ product development, design, research and development, manufacturing and retail capabilities. Agilitas also holds a long-term licence for the Italian sportswear brand Lotto and runs footwear manufacturing through Mochiko Shoes.
3. Virat Kohli’s personal vision for a lasting sports brand
Virat Kohli has described the project as a long-held ambition. “The opportunity to realise a dream of mine in terms of building a sports brand while I was still playing was something I always wanted. I’ve been involved in literally everything from day one, from the technology and materials to the designing. This is a vision that I feel very strongly about. The aspiration is for the brand to outlast all of us, become a part of people’s lifestyle and ultimately stand on its own,” he said, as reported by The Hindu BusinessLine and the Times of India.
4. Global expansion and a ₹2,000–3,000 crore target
One8 plans to enter new sports categories and expand into markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, either directly or through distribution partners. Agilitas aims to build One8 into a ₹2,000–3,000 crore business over the next four to six years.
5. A wider investment portfolio beyond sportswear
One8 sits inside a larger set of holdings. Virat Kohli bought 2,66,667 shares of Go Digit General Insurance at ₹75 each in early 2020 for ₹2 crore; the insurer listed in May 2024. He invested in Rage Coffee in March 2022 and became the brand’s face. With wife Anushka Sharma he holds a stake in plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe. Other investments include Galactus Funware Technology (parent of gaming platform Mobile Premier League), London-based fan platform Sport Convo, and a 2015 backing of gym chain Chisel. He has co-owned Indian Super League club FC Goa since 2014.
Still delivering on the field
Virat Kohli now plays only ODIs for India after retiring from T20Is in 2024 and Tests in 2025.
On the eve of his birthday, he scored 74 off 51 balls (13 fours, one six) as India chased a revised DLS target of 143 to beat New Zealand by five wickets in the rain-hit first ODI in Auckland.
