Brands
playR suits up as UP Yoddhas’ kit and merch partner for PKL season 12
MUMBAI: The UP Yoddhas are stepping onto the kabaddi mat this season with fresh fire in their kits, thanks to premium sportswear brand playR, which has been named the official kitting and merchandise partner for season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League.
The new kits, revealed under the theme “Passion in every thread, elegance in every colour” promise to fuse resilience and pride with athlete-driven design and cutting-edge fabric technology. Designed for agility, comfort, and durability, the gear aims to keep players looking sharp while surviving the sport’s grit and grind.
For playR, the tie-up is more than stitching uniforms. “Our partnership with the UP Yoddhas goes beyond designing kits, it is about capturing the team’s resilience, energy, and pride,” said iCOREts, founder of playR and director, Ravi Kukreja. “We are eager to see the Yoddhas showcase their spirit on the mat in kits that combine passion, strength, and elegance.”
Led by a powerful mix of raiders and defenders including Surender Gill, Guman Singh, Dong Geon Lee, Sumit, Ashu Singh, and Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi, the Yoddhas will debut their new look in the season opener against Telugu Titans on 30 August in Visakhapatnam.
The deal not only strengthens the Yoddhas’ commercial roster but also cements playR’s reputation as one of India’s fastest-growing sportswear brands: balancing performance, fashion, and function for athletes and fans alike.
Brands
Samsung India mobile chief quits after 18 years
Raju Antony Pullan’s exit leaves a gaping hole at the top as Chinese rivals tighten their grip
GURGAON: Raju Antony Pullan has had enough. The senior vice-president and head of Samsung India’s mobile phone business has put in his papers after 18 years at the Korean giant, a tenure long enough to have watched the company stride to the top of India’s smartphone market and then stumble, badly, as Chinese upstarts muscled in.
Pullan, who ran sales, marketing and every last function of the smartphone business, tendered his resignation on Thursday and is currently serving out his notice period. Samsung has not named a successor. It has a second line of leadership waiting in the wings, Aditya Babbar and Hiren Rathod among them, but no decision has been made on who steps up.
The timing is awkward. Samsung has been haemorrhaging market share to Chinese brands and now clings to a top-two position only in the premium segment, where it scraps it out with Apple. Losing the man who stewarded the mobile business through its best and worst years hardly helps steady the ship.
A company that once owned India’s smartphone market is now fighting to stay relevant in it. Pullan’s departure is less a footnote than a flashing red light.
