Three PUMA jackets reworked by Indian designer Dhruv Kapoor marked the first appearance of an Indian Premier League cricket team at Milan Fashion Week. The runway drop comes six years into the kit partnership with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with a fan collection due before the 2027 season.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru has become the first Indian cricket Premier League franchise to feature on a Milan Fashion Week runway, unveiling a limited-edition jacket collection with kit partner PUMA and Delhi-based designer Dhruv Kapoor.
The collection, part of Kapoor’s Spring/Summer 2027 show, Presence, reworked existing PUMA pieces with cricket and RCB motifs across three jackets, each finished with handcrafted detailing. The appearance caps six years of PUMA and RCB expanding beyond match-day product. Athleisure now accounts for nearly 40 percent of RCB’s merchandise mix, according to PUMA, and its 2026 RCB jersey became the company’s top-selling apparel item globally within its first week on shelves.
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RCB itself changed hands in March 2026, sold by United Spirits to a consortium including Aditya Birla Group, The Times Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone for close to 1.78 billion US dollars (about 1.55 billion euros, at a Sept. 21, 2026 spot rate of 1 USD to 0.87 EUR).
The appearance caps six years of PUMA and RCB expanding beyond match-day product. Athleisure now accounts for nearly 40 percent of RCB’s merchandise mix, according to PUMA, and its 2026 RCB jersey became the company’s top-selling apparel item globally within its first week on shelves. RCB itself changed hands in March 2026, sold by United Spirits to a consortium including Aditya Birla Group, The Times Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone for close to 1.78 billion US dollars (about 1.55 billion euros, at a Sept. 21, 2026 spot rate of 1 USD to 0.87 EUR). No athlete holds an equity stake in the franchise.
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A wider PUMA x RCB x Kapoor collection is expected ahead of the 2027 IPL season, sold through both brands’ channels. This Milan appearance gives RCB a stage it had never had before, preparing the ground for that release and looking ahead to cricket’s return at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which sharpens brand interest in the sport as a global property.
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