Buy World Cup at your local market

So you can watch your stars perform while wearing the blue India cap and jersey and noting down every matchstat in the official notebook with an official pen.

The deal is through event-management company Advent, which last year bagged the South Asia rights from the ICC. They’ve since sub-let the rights to other specialised companies, which will be bringing them to the public.

‘‘There are seven categories of merchandise, including apparel, key chains, gifts and other items. These will bear official emblems, logos and the official mascot Dazzler’’ said Advent’s Hemant Dua.

What’s different is the pricing of these items: unlike similar items in, say the last football world cup (where a basic T-shirt could cost around Rs 1,500), these goodies are well within the reach of ordinary fans. Some sample prices:

• 180-page notebook at Rs 25
• India colours available at Rs 249 and Rs 399
• India caps in the range of Rs 75-Rs 125
• Clothing for children Rs 129, adults at Rs 179

The clothing — replica India T-shirts, track pants, caps — will be from Pantaloon, who will also be selling keyholders, bats and balls. Though unwilling to put a figure on the deal, Pantaloon’s director Rakesh Bhiyani expected a turnover of six-eight crore rupees.

Though there’s no ambush marketing cover for these rights, Bhiyani believes that the durability and affordability of his products would win the day.

‘‘In India implementing the law becomes very difficult, so it may not be possible to stop them (fake replicas).’’

Navneet Publications’s vice-president Shailendra Gala agrees with Bhiyani and says that his products — the 180-page ‘long book’ — will bear the official stamp, with official photographs, itinerary and team details.

The official 12-song World Cup album Khel Re, which hits the markets on Thursday, is being launched by Nirvana Music. It will have nine Hindi songs, one Punjabi song and one Indian-English song — by Parikrama — apart from the official song ‘Welcome’.

The singers inlcude Abhijeet, Alka Yagnik and Bali Brahmbhatt, while noted composers Jatin-Lalit, Lalit Sen and Rajesh Roshan have also worked on this venture.

While all the licensees vouch for India’s passion for cricket as the reason for their tie-ups, they do feel the fear of failure.

As Nirvana Music’s Rahul Guha says, they have just one opportunity to make merchandising a hit. ‘‘Our success would depend on this very event; the next world cup is four years away, in the West Indies…’’