Leeds firm enters joint venture with Indian cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Leeds-based Payntr, launched little over a year ago, has entered into an agreement with SEVEN by MS Dhoni.

Together the businesses are expecting the venture to be worth a minimum of £30m over five years.

Payntr is the brainchild of ex-professional Northamptonshire cricketer David Paynter, who was unsatisfied by the limited range and effectiveness of the cricket shoes available during his playing career.

Mr Paynter said: “Almost as soon as we launched onto the market, we were overwhelmed by the tremendous interest from some of the world’s top international cricketers.

“Everybody wanted to try them and within weeks we were seeing the Payntr shoes on the global sports stage.

“It wasn’t long before we were in talks with SEVEN by MS Dhoni and after discussions and due diligence, we are absolutely delighted to announce the deal is complete.”

SEVEN is an Indian lifestyle brand that manufactures and markets sportswear clothing and footwear.

It was launched by RS Seven Lifestyle, which is owned by the Rhiti Group. The chairman of the group is Arun Pandey, a close friend and business partner, of MS Dhoni. Dhoni owns the footwear side of the brand SEVEN.

Mr Pandey said: “Cricket has been the core of our inception, especially with MS Dhoni’s contribution to our brand.

“I am sure that this joint venture will help us reach our vision: making cricket accessible to everyone in the world.”

When Payntr by SEVEN is introduced into the Asian market later this year, it is planned there will be more than eight variations of colours and trims, including camouflage.

Mr Paynter played as a top-order batsman and part-time spin bowler for Northamptonshire.

He played also for the Yorkshire academy.

The business is based on the outskirts of Leeds. Payntr has hinted that there may be further developments in the pipeline, with the possibility of expanding its offering into other sports.