IN THE sprawling cricket grounds of Rajasthan, at the tender age of 12, Deepak Chahar stepped onto the pitch, fuelled by the inspiration of his father. A mischievous child with boundless energy, his father saw cricket as a means to instill discipline in him. Little did they know, this would spark the rise of a cricketing star and an innovative entrepreneur.
Fast forward to today, Chahar stands as one of India’s most promising cricketers. A key member of the Chennai Super Kings, his achievements include being the only Indian to secure a hat-trick in the T20s.
However, his impact transcends the cricket pitch. In 2022, he embarked on two ventures, challenging conventions and disrupting industries. The first is TFG (Trade Fantasy Game) — fantasy cricket, established under JCDC Sports Pvt. Ltd., which revels in its unique six-player format as against the industry standard of 11. The app focuses on user-interface to incorporate innovative game-play features.
The second, D-NINE, established under LCDC Athletics Pvt. Ltd., provides quality cricketing shoes and health supplements at affordable prices. The nutrition products are made by a third party, FMCG company Weolive, while shoes and other sports gear are produced through contract manufacturers based in Rishikesh and Dehradun.
“My wife and my father handle the daily operations of both the businesses. I contribute as an advisor,” says Chahar.
TFG, launched in February 2023, has an average 30,000 playing on the app daily. The platform aims to surpass 3 lakh users during the IPL season. Meanwhile, D-NINE clocked sales of ₹1.2 crore in the last six months and forged partnerships with 30 distributors. — Urvashi Mishra