4 ways fans are searching IPL 2026 🏏
IPL has always piqued the curiosity of fans everywhere, consistently dominating Google’s 'Year in Search' sports trends in India since 2020. This year, globally IPL-related queries on Google Search further spiked by 80%, cementing the tournament as a top trending global topic over the past 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 further elevated the fan experience this year, with AI-powered analysis also integrated in live broadcasts.
From tracking favourite players to match-day shopping for team merchandise, or even diving into expert analysis to unpack the season's evolving match situations — here are search trends defining the season among Indian fans:
Team Fandom 🏟️
Millions of supporters turned to Search to find information about their favorite franchises. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged as the top searched IPL team across India this season, followed closely by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI). Player interest spanned a wide range - from legendary icons to new sensations. The top five most searched players include Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Cooper Connolly, and Kartik Sharma.
Fans kept tabs on their favourite players, asking everything from real-time movements and career milestones to emotional queries. Queries included "Is Rohit Sharma playing IPL 2026?", "2026 mein IPL Jasprit Bumrah kaun si team mein", "How many hundreds does Kohli have in IPL?", "Will IPL 2026 be the last season of Virat Kohli?", and “Why Ravindra Jadeja is sad in yesterday's IPL”.
Decoding the Field 🏏
Fans also looked to Search to understand the game more deeply. We saw spikes for queries decoding rules and terms like “Semi final qualify karne ke liye kitne point chahiye in IPL?”, “What does 1 demerit point mean in cricket IPL?”, and “What is drs timer in cricket?”. Supporters looked behind the curtains, asking “What is the role of director of cricket in the IPL?” and “How does IPL auction work for unsold players?”
The excitement of the tournament didn't just engage hardcore fans; it also brought a wave of curious newcomers using Search as a personal cricket classroom. The curiosity drifted into trivia like “How long is a cricket pitch?”, “What is the meaning of a leg break in cricket?”, “What is maiden century in cricket?”, “Why does 11th guy in cricket not bat?”, and “Why bat is checked on ground in IPL”.
Expert analysis 🔍
People also turned to Search as an analytical sounding board, unpacking tournament data and match situations. These include queries trying to decipher the season's heavy hitting, such as “Why are teams scoring so much in the IPL?”
Fans engaged in data-driven performance queries and cross-sport debates, searching for queries like “2026 ke IPL mai ab tak kitne players century bana chuke hai”, “Which player has the highest strike rate in the IPL?”, “Who has the most orange cap in IPL?”, “Which is the fastest baller in cricket history?”, and “Which is harder, F1 racing or cricket?”
Match-Day Shopping 👕
The excitement of the league influenced shopping behavior as fans wanted to look and play the part. High search volume was recorded for "IPL jersey price" and "MI tshirt", "cricket helmet", and "hats for cricket", alongside urgent queries for "cricket jersey same day delivery". Performance gear saw keen interest, led by a spike for branded cricket shoes, sunglasses, and professional English willow kits.
As we head into the thrilling finale of the tournament, we're glad to see Google Search serve as a helpful playground for India's boundless cricket curiosity.
Source: Google Trends (queries tracked across tournament duration)
