Puma Eyes Indian Badminton Scene For Growth With PV Sindhu Endorsement 

Puma has sealed a landmark multi-year endorsement deal with PV Sindhu, India’s badminton star and two-time Olympic medallist in the world’s most popular nation. 

The sporting behemoth hopes the star endorsement is a tried-and-tested way to engage with the popular racquet sport’s current influential fan base of 57m that is fast-growing nationwide, particularly among the Gen Z audience .

According to 2024 Google-Deloitte Think Sports research, 27.8 million badminton enthusiasts are from Gen Z, echoing the sport’s popularity among younger viewers. Badminton has also emerged as the second-most popular sport in urban India, behind cricket, with a whopping 65% increase in active involvement over the last four years. Sindhu also has the most Instagram followers of any badminton athlete in the world. 

Puma hopes the partnership— which first began in the ongoing Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2025 in New Delhi—enables the brand to connect with the nation’s sizeable youthful audience and  boost its footprint in the sport apparel market to double the company’s current growth pace.    

Karthik Balagopalan, Managing Director of Puma India, enthused,“PV Sindhu is a legend and a trailblazer, and we are proud & delighted to welcome her into our Puma family. She is the most followed badminton athlete in the world. Her extraordinary legacy in Indian sports which includes a lot of historic firsts has not only placed India on the badminton map globally but has also inspired millions, pushed the boundaries, and paved the way for future generations of athletes.”

“As we make our first-ever step into badminton, this association will further our goal to increase Puma’s footprint in the rapidly growing sports landscape in the country, inspiring more youngsters to take up the racquet-sport.”

Later this year, Puma will release a special collection for badminton fans in India. With Horizon forecasts tipping India’s sport apparel market to reach US$399.5m by 2030, rising at a steady CAGR of 5.9% between 2023 and 2030. Meanwhile the badminton equipment market, particularly badminton shoes, is poised to increase from US$ 202.7m to US$304.6m by 2030, and Puma wants to lead the way with quality offerings in the market.   

According to ASN data, Puma (3.7%, US$46.8m+) is the 4^th largest investor for its category in the Asian sponsorship market since Q222, with an average quarterly investment of US$4.1m+ during this period. Meanwhile, the average quarterly investment from the sport behemoth has been between US$2.8m and US$3.4m since Q124, and our Q125 forecast continues in this vein, tipping it to hit almost US$2.9m   

In terms of markets, India is still the largest for Puma’s sponsorship spends by a mile at a whopping 54.9%, with an investment of US$23.9m+ since Q222. The brand is also the 2^nd largest spender for its category in the Indian sponsorship market with a 23.1% share, only behind traditional rival Adidas which dominates with a 50.5% share there.  The brand’s biggest deals tend to be in cricket including a long-term partnership with the iconic Virat Kohli (~US$2.5m) and endorsements from the likes of KL Rahul (US$383k), Sajeevan Sajana (US$200k) and Asha Sobhana (US$200k).