IPL has always piqued the curiosity of fans everywhere, consistently dominating Google’s ‘Year in Search’ sports trends in India since 2020. This year, IPL-related queries on Google Search have increased by 80% globally, solidifying the tournament as the top trending global topic in the last 60 days.
With AI mode, fans are interacting with Search like a live cricket companion, asking more complex and natural follow-up questions as the action unfolds. Our Collaboration with BCCI The fan experience was further upgraded this year, with AI-powered analytics also integrated into the live broadcast.
From tracking favorite players to match-day shopping for team merchandise, or even diving into expert analysis to uncover the changing match situations of the season – here are the search trends that defined the season among Indian fans:
Team Fandom
Millions of fans turn to Search to get information about their favorite franchises. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Emerging as the top searched IPL team across India this season, second only to Chennai Super Kings (CSK)) And Mumbai Indians (MI). Player interests span a wide spectrum – from famous icons to new sensations. Top five most searched players Virat Kohli And ms dhoniTogether Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Cooper Connolly, And Karthik Sharma.
Fans kept track of their favorite players, asking everything from real-time activities and career achievements to emotional questions. Questions included “Is Rohit Sharma playing IPL 2026?”., “Which team will Jasprit Bumra be in in IPL in 2026?”, “How many centuries does Kohli have in IPL?”, “Will IPL 2026 be Virat Kohli’s last season?”, and “Why is Ravindra Jadeja sad in tomorrow’s IPL”.
Decoding the field
Fans also took to searching to understand the game more deeply. We saw spikes for questions like decoding terms and conditions “How many points are needed to qualify for the semi-finals in IPL?”, “What does 1 demerit point mean in Cricket IPL?”.And “What is DRS timer in cricket?”.. Supporters kept asking behind the scenes “What is the role of the Director of Cricket in IPL?”. And “How does the IPL auction work for unsold players?”.
The excitement of the tournament didn’t just include die-hard fans; It also brought a wave of eager newcomers using the search as a personal cricket classroom. Curiosity turned into common sense. “How long is a cricket pitch?”, “What does leg break mean in cricket?”., “What is the first century in cricket?”, “Why doesn’t the 11th player bat in cricket?”And “Why is the bat checked on the field in IPL?”.
Expert Analysis
People also adopted the search as an analytical sounding board, highlighting tournament data and match situations. These include queries trying to understand the season’s heavy hit, such as “Why are teams scoring so much in IPL?”
Fans are engaged in data-driven performance questions and cross-sport debates, exploring questions like “How many players have scored a century so far in the 2026 IPL?”, “Which player has the highest strike rate in IPL?”, “Who has the most Orange Caps in IPL?”, “Who is the fastest bowler in cricket history?”And “Which is harder, F1 racing or cricket?”.
Match Day Shopping
The excitement of the league influenced purchasing behavior as fans wanted to watch and play the part. High search volume recorded for “ipl jersey price” And “mi tshirt”, “Cricket Helmet”And “Salute to cricket”with urgent questions for “Cricket Jersey Same Day Delivery”. A keen interest was seen in branded cricket shoes, sunglasses and performance gear for the professional English Willow kit.
As we head towards the exciting finale of the tournament, we are glad to see that Google Search has become a helpful playground for India’s boundless cricket curiosity.
Source: Google Trends (queries tracked during the tournament period)