Sanju, Dhoni to deck up in Kerala style; Thiruvananthapuram sportswear brand inks deal with CSK

Saturday 28 March, 2026 | 11:19 PM READ MALAYALAM VERSION

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Malayali-owned business venture will now take care of the dress choice of players, including Sanju Samson and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. 'Hyve', a sportswear brand based in Thiruvananthapuram Kinfra, is the official sportswear partner of CSK. 36-year-old Rakesh Rajeev is the founder of the firm.

Hyve, which started operations in 2017 in just 1,000 square feet at Kinfra, is today a state-of-the-art unit of 17,000 square feet. It has about 170 employees. The products reach the customers through the 'direct to consumer' model. Hyve's goal is to produce high-quality clothing at low cost, suitable for the Indian climate and sports enthusiasts. The firm is active in fields such as cycling, athletics, and cricket.

Hyve started getting national attention after its association with the Chennai Super Kings. The firm is reaching out to its fans more through innovative experiments like the 'Yellow Friday Sale'. Rakesh’s wife is Karthika Vijay, a dentist. His father is Rajeev. His brother is Dr Rahul Rajeev, a neurologist and medical educator.

Sports always ran through Rakesh Rajeev's blood as his mother, Lata, was a former athlete who competed with legendary P.T.Usha. Lata has won medals in national meets, including in the 4x100m relay. The sportsmanship instilled in Rakesh by his mother led him into the industry. After completing his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and working in big companies, Rakesh achieved his goal of starting his own brand.

Hyve’s contribution to CSK: