After Cricketer MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli to invest Rs 90 cr to set up gym chains

After his fashion start-up Wrogn, Cricketer Virat Kohli is all set to invest heavily in the fitness industry. As per a leading daily ToI report, Kohli will be investing a whooping sum of Rs 90 crore in a Rs 190 crore project with partners Chisel Fitness and CSE.

Following the footsteps of his senior and Indian team captain MS Dhoni, who also runs a gym chain named 'SportsFit Fitness', Kohli's gym chain will be launched under the brand 'Chisel'. The brand is jointly owned by Kohli and his partner Satya Sinha, who is the Director of Bengaluru-based start-up Chisel Fitness.

Commenting on the new development, Sinha said, "We will launch gyms of various sizes and with different facilities according to their locations. We are also in talks with international sports-based fitness experts to bring in their expertise."

Meanwhile, Gaurav Marya, Chairman, Franchise India, which is a commercial and marketing partner in this venture, shared, "The gyms are just a start. There are plans on the anvil to launch fitness inspired clothing lines and tech wearables in the future."

Pegged at about Rs 1,300 crore, Indian fitness industry comprising branded fitness chains and standalone gyms.

As per the media reports, prior to venturing in fashion and fitness industry, Kohli had a minority stake valued at under Rs 1 crore a year in the Indian Super League team FC Goa.

Recently, cricketers started making some heavy investments to keep their future secure after retirement. Like Kohli and Dhoni, Cricketer Yuvraj Singh has also invested an undisclosed amount as seed funding in a mobile phone-based beauty and wellness start-up Vyomo. Even former cricketer Robin Uthappa has co-founded a food start-up named iTiffin.