RCB x AC Milan crossover with Puma

A cricket franchise, a European football club, and one sportswear sponsor have stitched together a pretty clear message — fandom is now a global lifestyle business. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and AC Milan have launched a PUMA-led crossover campaign built around Virat Kohli and Christian Pulisic, with Rajat Patidar and Phil Salt also featured in the rollout. The point is not just a fun jersey-swap moment. The point is that RCB is trying to act less like a seasonal team and more like an always-on brand. (cricexec.com) ### What actually launched? The campaign brings together RCB and AC Milan under the #RCBEverywhere banner, with PUMA using its relationships on both sides to create a cross-sport activation. The visible bits are simple — players swapping jerseys, social-first conte(cricexec.com)esigned to move across markets, not a one-off content drop for local fans. (cricexec.com) ### Why are Kohli and Pulisic the center of it? Because they make the crossover legible instantly. Kohli is one of cricket’s biggest commercial magnets. Pulisic is AC Milan’s most obvious bridge into U.S. and global mainstream sports audiences, and PUMA already sel(cricexec.com)e that can travel from India to Europe to the U.S. without much explanation. (cricexec.com) ### Why is PUMA the real connector? PUMA is the infrastructure here. RCB has had PUMA as official kit partner since 2021, and AC Milan has also been using PUMA to push fashion-heavy collaborations, including recent capsule and fourth-kit projects. So this is less “(cricexec.com)onsor is not just supplying shirts — it is manufacturing culture. (royalchallengers.com) ### Why does RCB want this now? Because franchise brands are chasing relevance outside the match calendar. An IPL team only plays in a tight seasonal window, but attention, merchandise, and social engagement can run all year if the brand has enough cultural elasticity. RCB’s #RCBEverywhere framing(royalchallengers.com)ces, and international digital spaces even when no IPL game is on. (cricexec.com) ### Why AC Milan? AC Milan already knows how to package football as style. Its recent PUMA collaborations with Off-White and Slam Jam show the club is comfortable operating beyond pure matchwear and into fashion and street-culture territory. That makes Milan a usef(cricexec.com)ect a fashion passport. (store.acmilan.com) ### Is this really about merchandise? Partly — but not only. Merchandise is the obvious monetization layer, and crossover campaigns help sell jerseys, capsules, and limited-edition drops. But the bigger asset is narrative. If fans start seeing RCB as a globally recognizable badge rather than onl(store.acmilan.com) the jersey swap is the hook, not the business model. (cricexec.com) ### What’s the bigger trend here? Sports teams increasingly want to behave like media-and-fashion properties. The old model was matchday, broadcast, and basic merch. The newer model is collaborations, creator-friendly content, and cultural adjacency that keeps the (cricexec.com)ct. (cricexec.com) ### Bottom line? This is a branding play dressed as a crossover. RCB is testing whether an IPL franchise can travel like a global sportswear label — and PUMA is giving it the runway. (cricexec.com)