Bengaluru , Mar 30 (IANS): Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Tuesday announced a long-term partnership with sportswear giant Puma. Under the terms of the deal, Puma will be the official kit partner of the team from the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

The deal comes as a progression of Puma's ongoing deal with RCB captain Virat Kohli and their collaboration in the Puma One8 brand.

"It's great to welcome PUMA to the RCB family. A global brand with a strong sporting vision and great quality products, their extensive distribution network through offline and online channels will ensure fans have access to RCB merchandise across the country. Over the years, I've had a great experience working with the brand and I'm excited to see Puma extend its partnership with the team that I play for," said Kohli.

Puma will have exclusive retailing rights to RCB's take down and replica jerseys, adding pan-India merchandise reach for the franchise across retail and e-commerce channels.

"We are excited to partner with RCB, one of the most popular teams in the Indian Premier League. Our similar brand ethos coupled with the team's growing fan base and extensive social following makes RCB our ideal partner on the cricket pitch," Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India and Southeast Asia.