Why many IPL cricketers wore different coloured shoes this season
IPL audiences were treated to an unusual sight this season – star players wearing shoes of different colours on both feet. While some passed it off as nothing to ponder over, and some cast it aside as a nagging question which would have no answer, the different coloured shoes have attracted enough attention.
For those who are curious about the reason for this, this is sportswear company PUMA's ‘Bold Tricks’ collection for the sporting season. Having hit upon the tagline ‘Play Loud’, the company have found a unique way to make audiences notice them – by coming upon an unusual stunt such as making star players wear different shoes.
One of the partners of IPL, Puma have revealed a new colorful interpretation of its evoPOWER and evoSPEED spike, in pink and yellow, made for those who like to play loud. The shoes were unveiled at an event in Mumbai in April this year, where Yuvraj Singh and footballer Robin Singh were present.
The left shoe of this collection is said to be of a ‘pink glow’ colour, and the right shoe is said to be of a ‘signal yellow’ colour. The special pair of shoes is given to star players of a certain team, to make them stand out from the rest of the field.
Some players to be sporting this unusual look are Yuvraj Singh, AB de Villiers ,Brendon Mccullum, Shakib al Hasan ,Dinesh Karthik, Shivil Kaushik and Sunil Narine.
We have legacy of creating unique coloured cricket shoes: PUMA
IPL players are given the option to sport the tournament sponsor’s name on any part of their apparel, and most often, players opt for shoes, because they have longer associations with other parts of their playing gear. Not all star players would have been bound to follow the different coloured shoe ‘rule’, however, and so star players like Virat Kohli were seen with more usual white sneakers.
Talking at the launch, the MD of PUMA India, Abhishek Ganguly had said, “PUMA's aim has always been to create cutting edge products which rate high in terms of performance and style. We have a legacy of creating unique coloured cricket shoes.
“This year we have a completely mismatched pair of Pink and Yellow shoes. Cricket and football are both widely followed and loved sports in India and through our trendy Tricks collection we are creating a platform to strongly engage with consumers and sports enthusiasts.”
On unveiling the colourful tricks collection, Yuvraj Singh had said. “I really love the bold and bright colours PUMA has chosen in their Tricks collection. PUMA has always been extremely fashion forward when it comes to their designs and with Tricks the brand has truly outdone themselves!
“I have tried on the shoes previously, not only do they look amazing but it also really enhances my performance. I am really excited about using Tricks during the IPL matches, who knows maybe it will be the start of a new trend of mismatched shoes. I cannot wait to see my supporters to wear mismatch footwear and clothes to support me play.”