Tendulkar to launch new Sports brand: report

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is all set to don a new hat, this time that of an entrepreneur.

Tendulkar, along with former Swiggy Instamart head Karthik Gurumurthy, will soon launch a sports athleisure brand, The Economic Times reported, citing people aware of the development.

Early stage venture fund Whiteboard Capital, along with Tendulkar, incubated the startup, which is in advanced talks with a venture capital fund to raise capital. Both Tendulkar and Whiteboard Capital are on the board of holding firm SRT10 Athleisure Pvt. Ltd, the report said.

The brand will rival top brands like Nike and offer a range of cricket and badminton sports gear at affordable pricing with a local manufacturing play, the report said, citing the people mentioned above.

One of the best-known cricketers ever, Tendulkar commands a heavy premium through his brand endorsement deals.

The former member of parliament is part of a joint venture for menswear brand True Blue with Arvind Fashions. He is also an ambassador for brands such as Spinny, Boost, and BMW.

But unlike his other endorsements, Tendulkar is reportedly working closely with the other cofounders, including former Swiggy executive Karan Arora, on the products.

Among other prominent sporting goods endorsers and brand owners, Virat Kohli owns a stake in Universal Sportsbiz Pvt Ltd (USPL), which runs the brand Wrogn. Kohli has also collaborated with Puma on the One8 range of shoes and other products.