West Asia war torches input costs for Jalandhar, Meerut sports goods makers

HDPE has jumped to ₹160/kg from ₹96-100 pre-war, rubber to ₹235 from ₹180, zinc to ₹310 from ₹225, with LDPE, PP and ink 30-33% higher. BAS, Champion and Punjab's Khel Udyog cluster face an April-June margin crunch; Icra pegs ~1 year to normalise, threatening India's 0.5% global share and $8.1B export ambition by 2036.

— FiledThu, 14 May, 2026, 06:47 IST·First seen Thu, 14 May, 2026, 06:37 IST·Source Mint · Industry

What happened

BAS (Beat All Sports) · US-Iran war spikes petrochemical, rubber and zinc input costs for Jalandhar and Meerut sports goods makers, squeezing April-June

Key facts

  • HDPE ₹160/kg vs ₹96-100/kg pre-war
  • Rubber ₹235/kg vs ₹180
  • Zinc ₹310/kg vs ₹225
  • LDPE/PP/ink 30-33% above pre-war
  • Shuttlecocks ₹1,180 vs ₹1,050
  • India sports goods output $183M
  • exports $2B, equipment $275M
  • 0.5% global share
  • China 40-50% share
  • $8.1B export opportunity by 2036
  • 11% global share target
  • global market $700B in 2024

Why this matters

Distressed valuations in Jalandhar-Meerut sports goods clusters open a tactical 6-9 month window to consolidate sub-scale OEMs and lock vertically integrated polymer and rubber supply.