Special firecrackers named after Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and other cricket stars -- Yuvraj Singh and Virendra Shehwag are selling like hot cakes in Patna and other towns of Bihar.
Even a firecracker named '20-20' with a picture of world champions India have made record sale this Diwali.
"In the wholesale market as well as in retail here, Dhoni dhamaka, Injured Lion named after Yuvraj Singh and a powerful bomb named after Sehwag are the number one choice of the young," Mithlesh Kumar, a shopkeeper selling crackers and other incendiary delights for Diwali, festival of lights, said on Friday.
"Crackers named after cricket icons are the first preference for people, particularly the young. The second popular choice for people is firecrackers named after India's tennis sensation Sania Mirza. They are more popular than those named after politicians and Bollywood film stars," Guddu Singh, another shopkeeper selling crackers, said.
Dhoni-brand crackers replaced those named after Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar this year," Guddu Singh, a cricket fan himself, said.
"Lalu bombs, Lalu engine, Nitish patakha and Rabri phuljhari are no match for Dhoni and Sania this time," Karim Ahmad, another shopkeeper, said.
"Firecrakers named after politicians are struggling in the market. Other brands such as Aishwariya, Kareena and Juhi are in less demand," he said.
Till last year firecrackers named after Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi were selling like hot cakes in Bihar.
They were the first preference for people, more popular than those named after Nitish Kumar.
In Bihar, firecrackers named after US President George W Bush and Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden did brisk business two years ago.
Firecrackers worth almost Rs 30 crore are likely to be sold this year. About 100 truckloads of firecrackers come from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu for Diwali alone.
