The Rise of playR in India’s Sports Merchandise Market

Sports in India, and even globally, have evolved far beyond stadiums and tournaments to become a booming lifestyle and consumer-driven industry. From team merchandise and fan culture to athleisure and emerging sports categories, the sector is witnessing a major transformation fuelled by rising fitness awareness, digital commerce, and the growing influence of sports-inspired fashion. Amid this rapidly evolving landscape, the homegrown sportswear brand playR is positioning itself at the centre of this shift. Founded by Ravi Kukreja, the brand has steadily built credibility through its strong association with IPL franchises while simultaneously expanding into newer sports and lifestyle categories. 

What began primarily as a cricket-focused venture is now turning into a broader sports and streetwear play. With partnerships across IPL teams, growing traction in e-commerce, and expansion plans across international markets, playR is aiming to build itself into a holistic sportswear brand catering to both enthusiasts and everyday consumers. 

IPL Jerseys Power playR’s Merchandise Momentum

For playR, jerseys and IPL-linked merchandise continue to dominate the revenue mix, emerging as the brand’s strongest growth engine. As Ravi Kukreja, Founder of playR stated, “Currently, jerseys and IPL-linked merchandise are the biggest revenue contributors for playR. Around 85 percent of both volume and value continues to come from jerseys alone, particularly driven by IPL team merchandise such as CSK, SRH, and LSG. Within this, CSK remains the strongest contributor, consistently delivering over 25 percent growth year-on-year.” 

Kukreja highlighted that the popularity of IPL merchandise today goes beyond match-day purchases, as consumers increasingly view jerseys as a part of everyday fashion and identity-driven fandom culture. The growing influence of athlete-led branding, social media engagement, and sports-inspired streetwear trends has further accelerated demand for replica merchandise across both metro and non-metro markets. 

playR Coverting the IPL Fever into Merchandising Sales

Sports merchandising has evolved into a powerful tool for building emotional connections, encouraging repeat buying behaviour, and strengthening long-term brand recall. For consumers today, jerseys are far more than simple apparel items; they represent team pride, player loyalty, and a deeper connection with the larger sporting culture and fan community. According to Ravi Kukreja, “Jerseys act as identity markers for fans, where purchase decisions are driven by player loyalty and on-field visibility. As the conversation highlights, “whatever is on TV sells,” meaning fan demand is strongly influenced by what players wear during matches.“

The growing popularity of sports-inspired fashion and fandom culture has further transformed sports merchandising into a lifestyle-driven category, where jerseys are now worn beyond stadiums and match days, contributing to sustained consumer engagement throughout the year. 

Building a Sports Ecosystem Beyond Retail

playR continues to balance its D2C strategy through a mix of digital-first distribution, marketplace partnerships, and selective offline presence rather than pursuing aggressive brick-and-mortar expansion. 

Ravi Kukreja stated, “playR’s growth model is still heavily driven by partnerships and ecosystem-led distribution rather than traditional large-scale retail expansion. The brand has leveraged platforms like Amazon for engagement-led campaigns, including initiatives such as free match passes and fan activations. However, the core philosophy remains focused on building a strong community through leagues, grassroots sports, and team partnerships, rather than aggressive offline retail expansion.” 

Rather than prioritising store count expansion alone, the brand is concentrating on ecosystem building, fan engagement, and demand generation, positioning itself as a sports culture brand rather than just a conventional sportswear retailer.

Beyond Metros, The Real Sportswear Boom Is Emerging

For playR, tier-II and tier-III cities are steadily becoming an important contributor to overall business growth.  As Ravi stated, “We are strengthening our presence through a strong distributor network in the offline space, while also scaling up on e-commerce and quick commerce platforms online. This hybrid approach is helping us improve reach and accessibility across tier II and tier III markets.”

playR is strengthening its market presence through a balanced distribution strategy that combines an extensive offline distributor network with growing visibility across e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms. This hybrid model is enabling the brand to enhance accessibility, widen consumer reach, and build stronger engagement across emerging markets, where the appetite for authentic sports merchandise and athleisure products continues to rise steadily.

Smarter Expansion Stronger Digital Growth

playR is increasingly witnessing stronger traction through its online business as consumer demand for sports merchandise and athleisure products continues to shift towards digital platforms. The brand currently operates through a multi-channel distribution strategy, balancing its D2C operations with major e-commerce marketplaces, quick-commerce platforms, and a selective offline retail network spread across more than 150 stores in India. 

“In terms of traction, we see major growth in the online business more than the brick-and-mortar,” said Ravi Kukreja. 

While the company initially experimented with a much larger offline footprint of nearly 400 stores, it later strategically streamlined its retail presence to focus on commercially sustainable locations. 

“We went to about 400 stores, and then pivoted to 150 stores because not all stores are commercially viable,” Kukreja added. 

International Markets on the Radar

Beyond India, playR is steadily expanding its international footprint, particularly across sports-driven markets where demand for sports merchandise, teamwear, and athleisure products continues to rise. The company has already executed multiple projects in the Middle East, including apparel and kitting work for the Oil & Gas Premier League in Dubai as well as the BNW League associated with Vivek Oberoi. 

As part of its global cricket expansion strategy, playR has also partnered with Seattle Orcas in the United States, marking another step in strengthening its presence across international sports ecosystems. 

As Ravi concluded, “We want to be known as a holistic sports brand rather than just a cricket brand,” highlighting the company’s larger ambition to evolve into a broader sports and lifestyle player on the global stage.”