Co-founder Ravi Kukreja on making performance gear accessible, scaling with purpose, and why playR is rooted in the Indian athlete’s journey
BW Retail World interviews Ravi Kukreja, Co-founder of playR, to understand how the homegrown sportswear brand is carving a niche in India’s competitive athleisure and activewear market.
What inspired the launch of playR, and how did you identify the gap in the Indian market for your offerings?
We had been planning this brand for quite some time. Our parent company, iCOREts, has deep roots in the sports community—initially serving as distributors for several global sports brands. Over time, we developed strong relationships with channel partners, multi-brand outlets (MBOs), and other industry stakeholders.
What became increasingly clear was a gap—not just in pricing, but more crucially, in value. Most brands base their pricing on international markets, which doesn’t align with Indian consumers’ realities. India is a value-driven market, especially when it comes to sportswear.
That’s when we decided to launch playR—a brand that truly understands the Indian athlete. We focused on one category at a time, and the name “playR” was born out of the desire to serve the everyday athlete—the one training six to eight hours a day and deserving high-quality, accessible gear. From the outset, it’s been “Player First.” Whether it’s apparel, accessories or wearables, we’ve aimed to deliver performance-enhancing products at the right price.
Our broader vision is to help shift India from being a sports-watching nation to a play-nation. Today, most high-performance gear is prohibitively expensive. We want to change that—so playing the game isn’t a privilege, but a choice available to everyone. That’s the spirit behind playR.
How does playR differentiate itself in the fast-growing sportswear and active-lifestyle space, especially with increasing global competition?
Our brand philosophy is encapsulated in our slogan: “LET’S PLAY.” It’s about promoting a healthier, more meaningful life through sports—not just competition, but fitness, team spirit, and everyday movement.
Our pricing reflects our positioning—we’re not trying to be the cheapest or the most premium. We’re focused on offering genuine value. Our products are high quality, designed for performance, and rooted in the Indian context. These are your everyday essentials, made to be used, not just admired.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced while scaling playR, and how have you navigated them?
Building credibility has been critical. We didn’t launch playR and immediately started spending heavily on advertising. Instead, we chose to build our credibility organically—by associating with major sporting leagues, particularly IPL franchises.
Every fan who dons a franchise jersey is wearing a playR product. That kind of association helped us earn trust. In the past three years, revenue from playR-exclusive products has grown from 10% to 40%—with the rest coming from our franchise collaborations.
Scaling production while maintaining quality has been another challenge. From small batches of 5,000–10,000 units, we’ve now scaled up to around 100,000 pieces. Counterfeiting remains a concern, but by launching our Fan Jersey line—priced affordably—we’re narrowing the gap between fake and authentic gear.
We’ve also expanded our distribution across e-commerce and offline retail. Bootstrapping can only take you so far, particularly in terms of advertising. We’ve been frugal and relied heavily on word of mouth and repeat purchases. But now, we’re ready to consider private equity investment to fuel the next stage of growth.
What’s next for playR in terms of product innovation, partnerships, or expansion into new markets?
We’re expanding into new categories, each requiring significant investment—typically $1 million or more. We started with cricket, running, fitness, and training, and are now entering emerging categories like pickleball and established ones like court and field sports.
We’re also exploring partnerships beyond IPL—working with leagues across various sports. In terms of product innovation, we’re launching gym wear, yoga apparel, and high-performance fitness clothing with features like stretchability, anti-odour, ventilation, and smart fabric blends.
In the next two months, we’re introducing women’s and kids’ lines. The idea is to serve athletes at all levels and all demographics.
What were the biggest challenges you faced while scaling so quickly without compromising on quality or affordability?
In just three years, playR has partnered with over seven out of ten IPL teams and sold more than 350,000 licensed jerseys. We’ve scaled our infrastructure, refined our pricing, and built credibility without compromising on quality.
We also support grassroots athletes by supplying kits and equipment to 20–22 players free of cost. Our quick-commerce model ensures you can get the right gear delivered almost instantly. With campaigns like “LET’S PLAY,” we want to inspire people to make sports a part of their daily lives.
Sports shouldn’t be a luxury. We’re making it accessible, affordable, and enjoyable—for every athlete, every day.
