Jerseys for sale on the pavement at BC Roy Market on the Maidan. (Sudeshna Banerjee)

When Sourav Ganguly takes the field at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, he will be carrying on his shoulders not only the burden of Shah Rukh Khan’s bitter-tweet remarks but also the expectations of traders who have invested heavily in his team’s colours.

Kolkata Knight Riders jerseys for Rs 100-110 dot the length of the pavement along BC Roy Market on the Maidan but sales are far from hitting a purple patch. “Team harchhey, demand nei (The team is losing, there is no demand),” rues Mohd Salam, whose shop is a riot of purple and gold.

IPL 3, he recalls, had started on a blazing note for him with two consecutive KKR victories spurring the demand for jerseys, but business slumped along with the team’s performance in the next three matches. “Ke aar haara team-er jersey portey chay (who wants to wear a losing team’s colours)?” he sighs.

The mood is even more despondent at the wholesale stops, with racks stashed with purple vests and pants of different sizes and qualities. “I ran out of stock in 2008 after selling 5,000 pieces. People were ready to pay even Rs 200 for a jersey. With the IPL back in India, we had high hopes this year. But jerseys stopped moving off the racks after the initial 150 pieces,” says Supriyo Bhattacharya of Molina Sports.

One more KKR loss and Bhattacharya fears he would be forced to go in for a “distress sale at cost price” to clear the remainder of his first lot of 500.

If Bhattacharya is despondent, Mukhtar Ahmed is downright desperate, almost pouncing on pedestrians pausing near his pavement stall. “We make a profit of barely Rs 2,000-4,000 a month. The first IPL gave me a profit of Rs 10,000, enabling me to save some money. So this year I invested Rs 10,000 in jerseys, hoping for similar returns. If the team keeps playing like this, how will I get my money back?” he wonders.

Mukhtar, who sold 100 a day with a profit of Rs 50-60 on every jersey in 2008, now sells barely two or three a day.

Taking a leaf out of captain Ganguly’s book (of excuses) — boss Shah Rukh has taken a tweet dig at Dada that Monday’s loss “was about the toss” and “the last hitch because of the pitch” — some traders are even blaming the change in colours for the dip in business.

Mukhtar feels the colour purple has contributed to the slump in sales, if not Team KKR’s fortunes. “Ekdom ladies colour (this colour suits only women),” he says, a tad dismissively.

Many Eden-bound lads, he said, had earlier asked for the old black jersey. “I told them that entry in black jerseys was prohibited,” he admits.

Mukhtar is now offering the KKR logo on a jersey of the customer’s colour of choice. “I have even sold jerseys in cyan and white with gold straps,” he says.

Some jersey-sellers have changed camps in a last-ditch attempt to shore up business. “I began displaying Mumbai Indians shirts three days ago. Demand is good, and Sachin (Tendulkar) is playing so well,” says Mohammad Salam.

But as every jersey-seller will tell you, nothing sells like the local favourite’s success. “It’s like fans scrambling to buy Brazil or Argentina jerseys if either or both reach the World Cup final. No other IPL team jersey can match the KKR one in sales if Dada’s team starts winning from Thursday,” says Bhattacharya.

Taking a leaf out of captain Ganguly’s book (of excuses) — boss Shah Rukh has taken a tweet dig at Dada that Monday’s loss “was about the toss” and “the last hitch because of the pitch” — some traders are even blaming the change in colours for the dip in business.

Mukhtar feels the colour purple has contributed to the slump in sales, if not Team KKR’s fortunes. “Ekdom ladies colour (this colour suits only women),” he says, a tad dismissively.

Many Eden-bound boys, he said, had asked for the earlier black jersey. “I told them that entry in black jerseys was prohibited,” he admits.

Mukhtar is now offering the KKR logo on a jersey of the customer’s colour of choice. “I have even sold jerseys in cyan and white with gold straps,” he says.

Some jersey-sellers have changed camps in a last-ditch attempt to shore up the jersey business. “I began displaying Mumbai Indians shirts three days ago. Demand is good, and Sachin (Tendulkar) is playing so well. Delhi (Daredevils) shirts are also selling well,” says Mohammad Salam.

But as every jersey-seller will tell you, nothing sells like the local favourite’s success. “It’s like Calcutta fans scrambling to buy Brazil or Argentina jerseys if either or both reach the World Cup final. No other IPL team jersey can match the KKR one in sales if Sourav’s team turns the corner on Thursday,” says Bhattacharya.