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JioStar’s ‘jersey wahi toh jazba wahi’ breaks gender norms, champions ‘Women in Blue’
MUMBAI: JioStar’s new women’s WC ’25 campaign film opens with the protagonist asking his partner a slightly awkward question, “But is it necessary to wear the women’s jersey?” after she suggests he put one on for a match screening at a friend’s place. His partner, exasperated by the lingering stigma, looks on in dismay, pitying the shame that still surrounds supporting women in cricket. Undeterred, he steps out the door wearing the jersey, hiding it beneath a jacket.
On his way, he notices fellow Indians proudly donning women cricketers’ jerseys, from colleagues to even the office lift operator, who delivers the knockout line, “Virat khelein ya Smriti, jeetega toh India hi na” (whether it’s Virat or Smriti, India will win anyway). The moment sparks pride as the protagonist ditches the jacket and walks into the office with his Smriti Mandhana jersey proudly on display.
With the ICC women’s cricket world cup India 2025 just around the corner, JioStar’s “Jersey Wahi Toh Jazba Wahi” (conceptualised by Bubblewrap Films) celebrates the unifying power of the India jersey. It sends a clear message: no gender norms can diminish the pride of wearing blue, and the joy of support far outweighs the question, “Who watches women’s cricket anyway?”
JioStar, head of viewership and monetisation initiative – sports, Siddharth Sharma said, “This tournament is more than cricket. It is about rewriting history and inspiring a generation. Our endeavour is to channel this moment into a campaign that unites the country, reminding fans to take equal pride in every Indian jersey.”
The ICC women’s cricket world cup 2025, hosted across India and Sri Lanka, kicks off on 30 September in Guwahati with India facing co-host Sri Lanka. With matches lined up against Pakistan, Australia, England and others, the women in blue are chasing a trophy that has long eluded them.
With the roar of home crowds and the momentum of this campaign, JioStar aims to capture a cultural shift: cricket pride is not about gender, it is about the jersey and every fan who wears it.
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Reliance Retail FY26 revenue rises 11.8 Per Cent to Rs 3.7 lakh crore
Q4 revenue up 11.1 Per Cent, hyperlocal orders surge 4x, PAT steady
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail isn’t just ringing up sales, it’s ringing doorbells faster than ever. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) reported a steady FY26 performance, with growth powered by store expansion, a sharp surge in hyperlocal commerce, and consistent traction across grocery, fashion and jewellery. For the full year, revenue rose 11.8 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,70,026 crore. In the January–March quarter, revenue from operations climbed 11.1 per cent to Rs 87,344 crore, up from Rs 78,622 crore a year earlier.
Operating performance remained stable, with Q4 EBITDA inching up 3.1 per cent YoY to Rs 6,921 crore from Rs 6,711 crore. However, quarterly profit after tax held steady at Rs 3,563 crore. For the full fiscal, PAT grew 11.7 per cent to Rs 13,842 crore.
Expansion remained a key lever. RRVL added 1,564 new stores during FY26, while simultaneously scaling its digital and hyperlocal commerce play. The latter emerged as a standout, with daily orders surging more than fourfold year-on-year in Q4, underlining a clear shift towards faster, localised fulfilment.
In grocery, large-format stores maintained momentum, aided by festive demand and the expansion of Smart Bazaar, which crossed 1,000 stores. Promotional campaigns such as ‘Full Paisa Vasool’ delivered record results, with sales rising 26 per cent YoY.
Digital commerce also picked up pace. JioMart added 5.8 million new users in Q4, nearly doubling its registered base year-on-year. Hyperlocal orders grew 29 per cent sequentially and over 300 per cent annually during the quarter.
Fashion and lifestyle saw steady traction. Ajio recorded a 23 per cent YoY rise in average bill value, while fast-fashion platform Shein crossed 11 million app installs, scaling rapidly with expanding product lines.
The jewellery business added further shine, with average bill value jumping 53 per cent YoY, largely driven by rising gold prices and sustained consumer demand.
Commenting on the shift, RRVL executive director Isha Ambani said hyperlocal commerce has become a structural growth driver, with orders rising more than fourfold over the year.
Looking ahead to FY27, the company is betting on technology to deepen engagement. The focus, Ambani noted, will be on AI-led merchandising, sharper pricing strategies and disciplined execution turning scale into sustained customer value.
In short, the carts are fuller, the clicks are quicker, and the next phase looks less about reach and more about precision.
