MUMBAI: Disney and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians have kicked off their one year relationship with the launch of ‘Mickey Cricket‘, a limited edition merchandise range.

The products will include apparel and accessories, footwear, stationary, home and toys, all featuring Disney’s Fab Five in fun cricketing attire.

The merchandise range is created for kids aged 4-14 and will be available at shopping destinations across the nation, including Reliance Trends and Hyper City, and also online at www.shopatdisney.in and www.mumbaiindians.com.

Walt Disney Company (India) VP, consumer products and retail Roshini Bakshi said, “Creating memorable experiences for kids and families is at the heart of everything we do at Disney. India is a cricket crazy nation and the popularity of Mumbai Indians is unmatched. We are excited to bring our India fans this amazing opportunity to experience the most celebrated sport in the country with their favourite characters Mickey and friends in fun clothing avatar”.

The focus will be in the Western part of the market.

"We also expect some orders to come from other parts of the country where there are fans of Mumbai Indians residing. Already stores have placed orders wroth Rs 140 million," Bakshi said.

Disney‘s consumer products business has seen double-digit growth over the past few years. The business has been helped by products from the ‘Cars‘ film franchise as well as Hannah Montana.

"We are talking to other IPL franchises. Mumbai Indians are trying to build a 360 degree brand, extending it beyond the cricket field. This year this tie up is a key focus area for us. We want to make the connection between Mickey and Indian kids stronger. That is why we have launched Mickey Cricket," Bakshi said.

Mickey cricket merchandise price points range from Rs 50-Rs 2000.

Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani said, "We hope to make the Season V of IPL special for our young Mumbai Indians fans with the launch of this exciting Mickey and friends merchandise. We are very excited about this tie-up with Disney and hope to surprise our fans with more exciting offerings in the future".

Disney will also run a consumer promotion ‘Scratch it!‘ during the IPL season to offer an opportunity for fans to meet Mumbai Indians players, win free tickets to Mumbai Indians matches and take ‘Mickey Cricket’ merchandise home.