Fans and frolic at Churchgate

Free MI t-shirts being given to fans at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday; (right) Die-hard body-painted Rohit Sharma fan Dipak Patel at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pics/Ashwin Ferro

Franchise owners know perfectly well how to please their customers/fans and the Mumbai Indians are among the leaders in this context. At the Wankhede Stadium on Monday for their first home game of IPL 2024, MI offered a host of freebies to their fans. While the regular free blue MI flags were in abundance, there were also free MI t-shirts being distributed at the entrance of most stands. The t-shirts were available in varied sizes ranging from S (small) right up to XXXL, all being handed out free. Fans could also play virtual cricket and win caps and other merchandise. "I have come for international cricket matches here before, but the IPL experience is totally different. While the rules are very strict during international games, where you can't even take water bottles into the stands, IPL matches are a lot of fun as there are no such regulations," Vikas Patil, 36, an IT professional, told mid-day. Some of the merchandise were at discounted rates too. "I purchased MI flip-flops for just Rs 699 here. It was for less than half the rate because the cost online is Rs 1,499," revealed Rajesh Jadhav, 19, a college student.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Booing continues for Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede Stadium

‘Rohit will always be my captain'

Body-painted fans always stand out in a crowd, and following in the footsteps of well-known Team India fan Sudhir Chaudhary, is Nagpur-based Dipak Patel, a die-hard Rohit Sharma fan. Rohit was also born in Nagpur, hence the connection, says Patel, who was completely covered in the Mumbai Indians blue paint with ‘Rohit 45' painted in white across his chest and stomach as he strolled around the Sachin Tendulkar Stand on Monday.

Like most MI fans, Patel is also unhappy with Hardik Pandya replacing five-time IPL champion Rohit as MI captain this season. Patel, though, does not offer any negative comments about Pandya.

"Rohit will always be my captain," he said as he ran off into the crowd to pose for a selfie or groupie with a bunch of excited MI fans.