You is usually a CSK fan, wrapped in yellow, cheering for MS Dhoni as your thala. Or you might be an RCB diehard, married to purple and blue, using on Virat Kohli’s depth each single sport. However throughout loyalties and hues, there may be one factor most followers will agree on, the IPL jerseys simply do not pack the identical punch anymore.
A equipment in any sport is greater than only a uniform. It turns into a part of your identification, mixing people right into a collective. Australia’s yellow and inexperienced imply bother for opponents. Brazil’s yellow in soccer carried the unmistakable Joga Bonito aptitude. And nearer dwelling, the Indian workforce’s gentle blue equipment within the 2000s, with the Sahara brand and tricolour streaks, stays etched in reminiscence.
These jerseys had been artistic endeavors, and everybody wished one of their private assortment. however with IPL kits right this moment, that emotional pull feels lacking.
When the IPL started in 2008, jerseys had been central to a workforce’s identification. Chennai’s yellow signaled dominance. Kolkata’s black and gold grew to become iconic. Rajasthan’s blue constructed prompt recall. Over time, nevertheless, that connection has light.
The explanations aren’t laborious to identify. Sponsor litter, inconsistent design decisions, and an absence of identification have turned jerseys into one thing nearer to promoting house. Add to that the query of worth, and it has additionally quietly fueled the rise of counterfeit jerseys, an issue we’ll come again to later.
To know the place issues are going mistaken, we flip to somebody who has been on the middle of India’s design ecosystem.
That voice is Aaquib Wani.
Wani has been one of many key figures behind India’s latest cricket kits, labored with IPL franchises like Rajasthan Royals, and designed for the Indian contingent on the Paris Olympics. Few perceive the intersection of design, branding and business calls for in Indian sport higher than him.
And his insights do not come from the skin, they arrive from being within the room.
He recalled a second when Dream11 grew to become the sponsor of the Indian workforce. The purple brand clashed with the blue Adidas stripes on the Take a look at jersey, drawing criticism from followers.
“I used to be on a flight from Ahmedabad to Delhi, and guess who I meet? Jay Shah. And I launched myself to him.”
“And immediately he requested me, hear, what ought to we do about that Dream 11 purple? I used to be like, make it blue. It must be one single colour on that jersey, and watch the way it blends into it. I do not know if he heard me, or it was an inner dialogue between them that they made that change,” stated Wani.
It’s a small instance, however it captures the bigger challenge, design selections matter, and when achieved proper, they disappear into the material of the jersey.
WHAT’S THE ISSUE WITH IPL KITS
What makes a equipment iconic? For Wani, it comes down to a few issues, identification, consistency and emotional connection.
These are exactly the areas the place IPL jerseys are falling brief.
The difficulty is not the presence of sponsors, however how they’re handled. Within the IPL, design and branding hardly ever work collectively. Jerseys are sometimes designed first, with sponsors added later, leading to a patchwork somewhat than a cohesive visible identification.
“I really feel sponsors aren’t the issue by themselves. See, keep in mind different sports activities. Formulation One automobiles and kits might most likely have extra logos than any IPL jersey, however they nonetheless look stunning as a result of the branding is built-in into the design, not simply positioned on prime of it.”
What that does is strip the jersey of its identification. As a substitute of one thing followers join with, it begins to resemble a shifting billboard.
“So right here, each workforce works otherwise, each sponsor has completely different calls for, and the result’s inconsistency, which is what I really feel,” stated Wani.
Globally, one of the best groups strategy this otherwise.
Take the Arsenal shirt for instance. The sponsor brand blends into the jersey as if it was at all times meant to be there. It does not dominate the design or sit awkwardly on a patch. As a substitute, it turns into a part of a cohesive product, one thing followers are joyful to put on.
Within the IPL, that stability is lacking.
Wani factors to particular examples the place this lack of cohesion turns into apparent.
“After I consider Lucknow Tremendous Giants in 2024, that they had a My11Circle brand on a white field on a jersey. And together with that that they had put these bizarre, blue reflectives, which seemed trashy.”
“I used to be like this isn’t what a jersey is meant to appear like, it is simply turn out to be an promoting hoarding,” he stated.
Consequently, the jersey loses its attraction, not simply visually, however emotionally.
ANOTHER ISSUE: RED AND BLUE
If branding is one drawback, colour identification is one other.
Other than KKR, CSK, SRH and RR, most groups rely closely on purple, blue or a mix of each, decisions that really feel commercially secure however creatively limiting.
“I really feel like the largest purpose right here is danger. Groups form of have a tendency to remain within the secure colour zones, principally purple and blue, as a result of these are seen as commercially secure and straightforward to work with,” stated Wani.
However secure hardly ever means memorable.
That’s the reason groups like Chennai and Rajasthan stand out. They stayed per their colours and constructed identification over time, as a substitute of chasing traits.
“When too many groups are chasing the identical palette, all the things begins to look interchangeable, and when that occurs, followers do not feel hooked up to the jersey itself, solely to the workforce,” stated Wani.
ARE IPL TEAMS CHEATING FANS?
That lack of identification and perceived worth has immediately contributed to the rise of counterfeit jerseys.
Earlier, even when official kits had been costly, there was a transparent distinction in high quality and aspiration.
“Individuals who wish to assist their workforce, they might somewhat go together with an authentic piece than purchase a knockoff for Rs. 200. It is also the standard, it is also wanting to purchase a premium piece. It’s Adidas on the finish of the day, it is an authentic piece,” stated Wani.
Within the IPL, that distinction has blurred.
“The factor with IPL is, it is not worth for cash. Why? As a result of the form of material that you just see, the form of high quality that you just see, it is the most affordable materials that they get to print it on.”
“The knockoff additionally that comes is just about the identical materials. So I am identical to, whilst a fan, I will be like, OK, if I am getting the identical piece for Rs. 200 I’d somewhat go together with that,” he added.
SOLVING THE JERSEY PROBLEM
If the issues are clear, the options aren’t completely out of attain.
Wani factors to the 1999 Cricket World Cup for instance, the place a centralized design system elevated each jersey.
“Should you had been to ask me when was the final time there was a design system in place, it was 1999 Cricket World Cup, when Asics had achieved all jerseys collectively. All jerseys seemed cool as a result of all of them got here out from one place and had one centralized design system to it.”
He additionally careworn the necessity for higher management over sponsor placement and giving designers extra authority within the course of.
“Speaking about sponsors once more, we will form of work round it, a suggestion would actually repair it.”
“My level is simply contain people who find themselves accountable for ensuring jobs look higher. You name in a specialist to repair a particular drawback, not advertising of us who know nothing about design…”
Wani admits cash will at all times be an element, however with the precise programs in place, design doesn’t should undergo.
There was some progress with fan kits, however for IPL jerseys to actually turn out to be iconic, groups must assume long-term.
“Consider Brazil yellow, or the All Blacks black, and even CSK yellow. You acknowledge them immediately…”
“For IPL jerseys to succeed in that degree, groups must cease redesigning each season and construct a long-term visible identification as a substitute.”
India is a cricket-crazy nation the place followers are able to spend on jerseys as memorabilia. Kohli 18, Dhoni 7, Rohit 45 will proceed to dominate the stands.
Now it’s time for IPL franchises to match that zeal, to be daring, to be constant, and to deal with the jersey not simply as merchandise, however as identification. As a result of ultimately, a jersey is greater than material. It’s one thing followers carry with them, one thing they put on, keep in mind, and make their very own.
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