As IPL-5 is set to take off, team owners are hoping the various merchandise deals they swing with brands will be the icing on the cake.

“We are hoping for a sea of yellow when CSK takes on the Mumbai Indians on Wednesday,” says Mr Chandrabhan Tiwari, General Manager, Marketing, Chennai Super Kings. “We have tried to make life easy for fans inside and outside the stadium,” says Mr Tiwari. CSK will sell T-shirts priced at Rs 200 outside the stadium to counter fakes that are being sold for Rs 150 or so. These will carry an ‘official merchandise' tag. CSK has also set up a store inside the Chennai airport departure terminal.

CSK is looking to enable wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity inside the stadium to run contests such as ‘Guess and Win' and keep the fan engaged.

While revenues from merchandise is miniscule now, teams like CSK have realised it's important to bump it up. From the following season, IPL teams will get less from the central pool of revenues set up by BCCI. Broadcast rights form a big chunk of central revenues.

Now, CSK is also warming up to the café/bar concept. After Delhi Daredevils and RCB set up airport bars, CSK is exploring a tie-up with Café Coffee Day. The café tie-up is one of the several ideas CSK is considering as it aims to build a sports entertainment brand.

In a test marketing exercise, two premium Café Coffee Day lounges in Chennai will be transformed to sport a CSK look-and-feel. These outlets will sell premium CSK merchandise – from team jerseys and T-shirts to fashion polos and other accessories. A couple of CSK-branded coffee-based drinks are also part of the brew, according to a source.

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