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Brands

KL Rahul Invests In PlayBlue, Joins As Brand Ambassador

Ad Tribe! Bureau2 min read
KL Rahul holding a blue PlayBlue cap with two members of the PlayBlue team

Cricketer KL Rahul has invested in PlayBlue, a new multi-brand sports retail venture, and joined it as brand ambassador. PlayBlue launches its flagship store in Bengaluru and its app on 14 November 2026.

  • Brand: PlayBlue
  • Investor and ambassador: KL Rahul
  • Flagship: 20,000 sq ft, 80 Feet Road, Koramangala, Bengaluru
  • Launch: 14 November 2026, store and app

What PlayBlue Is Building

The flagship spans three retail floors, a cafe level and a rooftop terrace, and stocks more than 75 sports and lifestyle brands across apparel, footwear, equipment, accessories, recovery products and sports nutrition. In-store services include gait analysis, treadmill testing for running shoes, cricket bat sensors, racquet stringing, bat knocking and cycle servicing.

The rooftop, called The Playground, has a full-sized pickleball court, a one-on-one futsal turf and a cricket net with a bowling machine, and will host classes, recovery sessions and club events. An in-house Play Cafe x Kenko adds food and nutrition. The PlayBlue app offers quick deliveries in Bengaluru and two-day delivery across India.

KL Rahul's Dual Role

As an investor, Rahul has a stake in the company's growth. As ambassador, Rahul will front its campaigns. Rahul said the right bat, shoes or training gear "can make a real difference to how you play and perform," and that PlayBlue makes quality sports products more accessible.

Co-founder Satyam Trivedi said this is the third time working with Rahul, after years together in the IPL. Co-founder Jayam Vora said buying sport in India "hasn't kept up" with its athletes and serious amateurs.

The Context

Celebrity equity deals, where an ambassador also takes a stake, have become common for new consumer brands that want a famous face without paying full fees, and they give the star a reason to promote the brand beyond a contract. PlayBlue is betting on experience-led stores in a category usually split between single-brand outlets and marketplaces. Rahul recently fronted a festive campaign for Crocs, and cricketers remain the most sought-after faces in Indian advertising, as Wobble's signing of Suryakumar Yadav showed today. The size of Rahul's investment was not disclosed.

More about the retailer is on PlayBlue's website.

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#brand ambassadors#PlayBlue#Sports Retail
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