New Delhi [India], June 11: Dreams might not always progress linearly, no matter however much we want them to. Yet, to keep dreaming is essential, and there is something fundamentally beautiful about reimagining ways to stay connected to the thing that you are passionate about, even if your initial path is no longer available to you. Similar has been the life story of Arjun Gupta, an ex-Ranji Trophy player for Delhi. After leaving the world of cricket as a player, he soon started his own sports apparel brand. Symbolically, the word ‘krag’, in Arjun’s brainchild, Kragbuzz, means strength and reflects the resolve of his maiden entrepreneurial venture.
The seed of this company was sown back in 2015 when Arjun offered, on a phone call, to arrange the jerseys of a corporate cricket team. Gradually, the frequency of such orders increased. His increasing understanding of the processes of outsourcing sporting apparel for teams helped him in perceiving a gap in the customized sportswear market. The enthusiasm to curb this gap and provide top-quality clothing and accessories to sportspersons made Arjun, with the guidance of his father, Mr. Rajesh Gupta, launch Kragbuzz in 2018.
Naturally, in its early days, the company had a small setup, very few machines, and the designing and printing facilities were outsourced. Today, Kragbuzz is among the top 35 jersey manufacturers recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Now, the factory consists of approximately 80 machines and can produce 25000 pieces of clothing monthly. Printing, designing, embroidery, and stitching are performed in-house, thereby facilitating the company in executing timely deliveries and making it the only brand in India that produces sports garments, headwear (caps and hats), and sports backpacks in-house. Also, unlike most other manufacturing brands, they do not have a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ). They happily accept single or bulk orders from their customers. The product and design range and personalization options that Kragbuzz offers its clients are among the many features that make this enterprise unique.
Kragbuzz works with numerous local teams, schools, and institutions, but this, by no means, exhausts their clientele. Rather, they now even deliver internationally to countries like Australia, the UAE, and the USA. Recently, they partnered with the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to manufacture sportswear and gear for them. Other prominent clients of Kragbuzz include Delhi Cricket Association, Puducherry Cricket Association, ICC Academy, UAE Cricket, and Malta Cricket Association.
After building a firm base in the sports manufacturing industry, Arjun Gupta, along with his two pillars of support, Mr. Rajesh Gupta, the Managing Director (MD) of the company, and his wife, Ms. Lakshita Gupta, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Kragbuzz Sports, aim not only to expand their existing manufacturing business but also eventually build an ecosystem where all sporting and fitness needs converge under one big roof.
The operation to achieve the goal of expansion has already begun. The major focus is on e-commerce and digitalization. Currently, Kragbuzz is enlisted on Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho, and the plan is also to target platforms like Myntra, Ajio, and Tata Cliq. Moreover, the Kragbuzz team is making efforts to enhance the user interface and make shopping easy on their website. Besides that, Arjun also intends to enter the retail market and open stores in India and abroad, starting with a branch in Noida, UP. Additionally, Kragbuzz is looking to enlarge its catalog and sell sports equipment as well. The work for the same is already in motion.
The vision of making Kragbuzz Sports an all-encompassing sports company is a long-term project, but baby steps towards that goal were already taken in November 2020, when Kragbuzz started a digital sports news channel called Sportz O Clock. The channel covers sports news; highlights talented players; puts up opinion pieces, and interviews prominent people from the sporting world.
Many people would feel satisfied with such diversified contributions to the field of sports and more, but Arjun is not one of those. He holds a comprehensive vision for Kragbuzz, wherein his company has several branches like an event managing wing, a player managing wing, a sports tourism department, a sports communications department, a fitness center, among other things. He has the belief and the temperament of a person who knows that he has just started.
Vijay Singh
