AGILITAS SPORTS ANNOUNCED Monday the onboarding of Smriti Mandhana as brand ambassador for ONE8, its high-performance sportswear brand front faced by Virat Kohli, marking a significant step in accelerating its focus on the fast-evolving women’s sports and lifestyle segment.
It was in December last year that Kohli picked up a minority stake in Agilitas Sports for about ₹40 crore, joining the company as an investor and business partner. As part of the deal, Agilitas Sports acquired Kohli’s sportswear brand, ONE8.
The company also recently raised a fresh round of about ₹200 crore from existing investor, Nexus Venture Partners.
In a move that signals a broader shift in the endorsement landscape, Mandhana joins at a pivotal point in her career, aligning with a platform that is building with clear intent in sport. Her association reflects a growing preference among leading athletes to move beyond traditional endorsements towards more meaningful, long-term collaborations that shape product, performance, and culture.
Mandhana will play a key role in building the ONE8 brand and strengthening its women’s category as a core growth pillar. She will be actively involved in developing the cricket performance range for women, contributing to product innovation and functionality rooted in athlete insight. In addition, she will be part of shaping the women’s high-intensity training category, bringing focus to performance wear designed specifically for high-output training needs.
Her association further reinforces ONE8’s commitment to women’s sport, not as an extension but as a central part of its growth journey as the brand looks to build a performance-first ecosystem that is inclusive, athlete-driven, and future-facing.
Commenting on the association, Abhishek Ganguly, co-founder and CEO, Agilitas, said: “Smriti coming on board marks a defining moment for us. This is not a conventional endorsement; it is a true co-creation partnership, where her insights as an elite athlete will directly shape how we design, innovate, and build our women’s performance category. She has already been working closely with our product and R&D teams, and that depth of involvement is critical to what we are creating.
Smriti embodies both excellence and intent, and her alignment with the ethos of One8 makes her a natural partner as we build India’s first high-performance sportswear brand. This is a long-term play, and we are excited about the meaningful impact we can create together.”
Mandhana added: “When the mission speaks to you, you show up fully. Agilitas did exactly that for me. I am joining ONE8 with everything I have got – my experience, my passion, and my commitment to building something meaningful for women in cricket and training.”
