IPL Jerseys,T- shirts,bags,caps,and headbands hit stores across the city Even as the Indian Premier League (IPL) frenzy grips the nation,sporting merchandise is catching up fast in the Pune market. The IPL merchandise in stores across the city has given fans an opportunity to support their favourite teams by donning the club colours. IPL merchandise is a big business for a city like Pune, says Abbas Turk,assistant store manager of the Reebok store at SGS Mall in Camp. Reebok is the official merchandising partner for four teams Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR),Bangalore Royal Challengers (RCB),Chennai Super Kings (CSK),and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Presently,the KKR jerseys are selling the most. The jerseys for the RCB and CSK teams are priced at Rs 2,599,while those of KKR and KXIP are priced at Rs. 2,899 and Rs 3,000 respectively, he says. The fans have a complete package to choose from including team T-shirts,bags,caps,headbands and wristbands. A store manager at the Adidas Store in Camp points out,The Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Delhi Daredevils (DD) team jerseys are priced at Rs 1,699. In addition,we have team T-shirts priced at Rs 800,slippers at Rs 999,bags at Rs 1,699 and caps at Rs 599. Given its proximity to Mumbai,the MI team jerseys and T-shirts are hot selling items in Pune. Even though the team has not performed too well in the last two seasons,fans have been rushing in to buy the jerseys; the new colour scheme is better received than those in the previous years, he adds. Imitation items of the originals are available at places like Fashion Street. Here all the team jerseys are fake but they are as good as the originals quality-wise and are priced at a fraction at Rs 160-200, said Irfan Qureshi,a shop owner at the Fashion Street. To tackle piracy and counterfeit merchandising,the official brands are also coming up with apparel that are priced less. Says Muzammil Sheikh,store manager at the Puma store,To tackle brand counterfeiting,we have team T-shirts that have the team crests on them and are of fabrics like cotton and priced at Rs 499 so that it is affordable to many. The fans,meanwhile,spoilt for options,do not mind shelling out a bit more to mark the occasion. Says 18-year-old Sanjay Menon,a degree student,I am rooting for Mumbai Indians this year. Even though the jersey is steeply priced at Rs 1,700,I got it to showcase my support for the team.
