MUMBAI: Global sports brand Puma has signed a long-term partnership deal with two up and coming players, Washington Sundar and Devdutt Padikkal. The duo joins Puma’s impressive roster of cricketers that include Indian captain Virat Kohli, wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul, women’s national cricketer Sushma Verma and legends like Yuvraj Singh.

Considered the future of Indian cricket, Sundar and Padikkal have been punching above their weights in major cricketing tournaments. Sundar’s all-round performance in Australia helped the Indian cricket team clinch a historic away test series win and Padikkal emerged as a ‘find of the season’ with his stellar performance for Royal Challengers Bangalore in his debut Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Sundar, a game changer and Devdutt, a consistent run-getter in the domestic circuit perfectly embody Puma’s ‘Forever Faster’ spirit.

Puma India and southeast Asia managing director Abhishek Ganguly said, “Washington and Devdutt have displayed remarkable resilience and grit on field that’s led to their meteoric rise as athletes. We have always believed in supporting not just established players, but also talent with immense future potential. We will continue to partner with young athletes, also at the grassroots to give back to India’s sporting ecosystem.”

Washington Sundar said, “Feels great to be associated with a brand like Puma which has some of the world’s greatest athletes in their roster. Watching skipper Virat Kohli and KL Rahul closely has given me a deeper insight into the brand. Puma adds a lot of credibility to an athlete’s journey and I’m excited to work with the brand in India.”

Devdutt Padikkal added, “A partnership with a global sports brand like Puma is really a big motivation for young athletes like me. I’m looking forward to a long-term association with the brand.”

Sundar and Devdutt are currently part of the Kohli-led IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore in the ongoing IPL 2021.