Oh, MI! Virat Kohli jerseys selling like hot cakes

The in-form Kohli’s astounding batting numbers so far this season notwithstanding, another reason for the sale of his jerseys could be the unique marketing brain behind some of these street-smart vendors

Fan loyalty is a very intriguing subject in sport. While some fans are crazy about their heroes, others simply adore their teams. It is difficult to gauge whose passion is greater. Something similar was unfolding on the footpaths, lining up the approach to the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, where Mumbai Indians hosted 
the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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Almost all roadside vendors had MI jerseys of different players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and even pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah, but there was only one RCB jersey accompanying the MI blue shirts and that was of Virat Kohli. And such is the nation’s love for Kohli that his franchise’s jerseys were selling in equal measure if not more than that of the MI players. When mid-day asked one of the vendors about their sales, he replied. “Rohit Sharma’s jerseys are selling a lot as always, but Virat’s shirts are also being picked up swiftly. I’ve sold 22 Rohit shirts and 19 Virat shirts so far and there are still two hours for the match to start.”

The in-form Kohli’s astounding batting numbers so far this season notwithstanding, another reason for the sale of his jerseys could be the unique marketing brain behind some of these street-smart vendors. “The MI jerseys are for R250-300 each, some are cheaper, depending on the quality, but the Virat jerseys are cost only R200. Virat’s shirts are cheaper because, as it happens in IPL, the visiting team [RCB] will be visiting this venue only once this season, so my boss has told me that I have to finish my stock of Virat shirts today [Thursday] itself. That’s why I’m offering them at a cheaper rate,” added the vendor.

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