The National Company Law Tribunal's Mumbai Bench has approved the merger of One8 Sports into Agilitas Sports, lifting Virat Kohli's stake in the combined company to 6.4% from 1.8% and consolidating his brand inside a full-stack sportswear business.
Kohli, who earlier invested Rs 40 crore in Agilitas, stays on as one8's co-founder and will remain closely involved in the brand's development, including decisions on technology, materials and design. "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.
The merged company is targeting a Rs 2,000-3,000 crore business over the next four to six years. One8 will expand into additional sporting categories and enter international markets, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, through a mix of direct expansion and distributor partnerships.
Agilitas, co-founded and led by CEO Abhishek Ganguly, is building an integrated sportswear business spanning product development, manufacturing, brand building, distribution and retail. Its portfolio includes one8, Lotto - which generated more than Rs 100 crore in its first year in India - Mochiko Shoes, which manufactures footwear for Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Skechers, Reebok, Asics, Crocs, Decathlon, Clarks and US Polo, and Sports Yard, its multi-brand retail format, which will add ten stores over the next six months. A third brand launch and a private funding round are planned in the coming months.
Ganguly said building a global sportswear brand from India requires more than brand recognition and distribution, pointing to China's Anta and the rise of Hoka as evidence of the opening for new players. The merger, he said, gives one8 the product development and execution capabilities to compete at that level.
FundForge Insight: Indian celebrity brands usually stop at licensing deals, where the star lends a name and someone else carries the operational risk. This merger is structurally different: Kohli has real equity, a co-founder role and a manufacturer behind him. The hard part starts now - Mochiko's factory floor can make shoes for Nike's rivals, but building a consumer brand that wins shelf space against those same rivals in the US and UK is a different game, and the planned funding round will show how much investors believe the Anta-from-India story.
Sources: NDTV Profit (October 29, 2026) and Entrepreneur India (October 30, 2026). Figures and targets as announced by the company. This article is for information only and is not investment advice.
Image: Virat Kohli batting, by lensbug.chandru, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons; converted to black and white.
