“We started selling the official India fan jersey on Blinkit when the season started. I thought the jersey sales on Ind vs Aus on Sunday were pretty good. I was so wrong. Nothing comes close to IndVsPak,” Dhindsa said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday evening, as the two subcontinent rivals faced off against each other in the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Dhindsa was comparing sales of the blue jerseys on October 8 when India played Australia, and October 14 when India played Pakistan.
As the city of Ahmedabad and the Narendra Modi stadium turned into a sea of blue on Super Saturday with India and Pakistan clashing and more than 100,000 spectators wearing blue jerseys, sales of the India jersey reached a record high with estimates of nearly ₹150 crore, according to industry executives.
The amount includes both the sales of official Adidas jerseys and the cheaper generic ones. They said the numbers are double that of jersey sales during the IPL T20, the other global cash-rich cricket tournament that India hosts every summer.
Ecommerce giant Amazon has placed the official Adidas India blue jersey as a “bestseller” on its platform, and a spokesperson said demand for sports jerseys has surged on Amazon Fashion. “We saw a 4.8X increase in the last four weeks, which escalated to an astounding 9X growth in the last three weeks before the match kicked-off on 5th October. The official Adidas ODI fan jersey emerged as a game-changer, accounting for 50% of the total units sold on October 13 and 14,” the Amazon India spokesperson said.Myntra and Meesho too are selling a wide range of India blue jerseys and T-shirts with names of top cricketers like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, and customisation options, leading to a big spike in sales.Sachin Takkar, vice president, category at Myntra, said there has been a notable spike in demand for the cricket jerseys. “The demand has grown close to 5X of business-as-usual days since India’s most recent victory, as the fans are leaving no stone unturned to flaunt their support for the Men in Blue,” Takkar said.
Dream Sports-backed FanCode Shop, the exclusive licensing and merchandising partner of the ICC, is selling a variety of blue jerseys with offers such as “super fan deals” to personalise the jerseys with customer names without extra charges.
“Apart from people in stadiums, people were wearing the India blue jersey even while watching India matches at bars, theatres or even house parties with family and friends. Yesterday’s win will trigger more sales if India continues its winning streak,” Gaurav Marya, chairman of licensing and franchising consultancy Franchise India, said.
Adidas, the official jersey sponsor of Team India, is selling the India jerseys across channels, and these are available even in general trade, according to executives. An email seeking comment from Adidas did not elicit a response.
Gautam Dutta, co-chief executive at PVR-INOX, which is live screening the matches, said: “Much like the stadium, there is tremendous fanfare visible at the cinemas. Fans came in the India blue jerseys to add to the vibe.” The multiplex chain is screening all India league matches and three knock-out matches across 116 cinemas in over 40 cities, which it said is closest to being at the stadium.
The brisk sales, retail trade executives said, are expected to surge further as India progresses, irrespective of whether they are Adidas originals or duplicate prints. “A lot of fans came dressed in the India blue jerseys and caps. For those who couldn’t, there were dozens of vendors selling the jerseys outside the stadium, with fans having come from across the country,” a retail trade executive said.
From the who’s who of India Inc to spectators in stands, almost everyone was seen wearing the blue jersey. Bars and restaurants too are also linking the India blue to consumer offers. The Beer Cafe is offering discounts to visitors wearing the India blue jersey.
