NEW CHANDIGARH, 28/05/2026 - Rajasthan Royals batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi during the Eliminator IPL T20 Match match against SRH at the New Chandigarh Stadium in Punjab on May 27, 2026. Photo R V Moorthy / The Hindu | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV

The era of three-hour sports fandom in India is passé. After the stadium lights go out, digital innings for the Indian sports fan kicks in. From binge-watching locker-room banter on YouTube to tracking deep-dive player stats, a new breed of round-the-clock "superfans" is forcing brands to rewrite their sports marketing playbooks, according to Google India.

This fandom extends far beyond the final score, spilling over to YouTube, which now "serves as the ultimate companion to the sport".

"Crictubers are the new power players, acting as human bridges between the sport and fans. They have evolved into professional media houses and studios, offering brands an unmatched level of trust. This credibility is built on long-term association; fans can spot a forced brand partnership or a lack of authenticity instantly," Google India said in a blog.

According to the post, a staggering 96 per cent of Indian cricket viewers are on YouTube.

This, essentially, has turned into a marketing goldmine, with fans -- especially the young ones -- getting influenced by ads they see while watching sports and sports-related content.

"With 71 per cent of Gen Z fans making purchases after seeing ads in sports content, winning in the 2026 cricket landscape requires selecting the right media channels. Doing so ensures every rupee is an investment, not an expense," it said.

The days of content creators influencing the audience may soon be over as well with fans specifically curating their own personal commentary team.

"They seek out creators who speak their language, both literally and culturally. In the heart of the UP-Bihar belt, Gadar TV resonates with fans by using local kahavats and street-style Hindi. CRICKET - TAMIL has built an entire parallel ecosystem for Tamil-speaking fans," it said.

Since 2020, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has always piqued the curiosity of fans everywhere, dominating Google's 'Year in Search' sports trends in India.

"This year, globally IPL-related queries on Google Search further spiked by 80 per cent, cementing the tournament as a top trending global topic over the past 60 days," Google Trends showed.

This year, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged as the top-searched IPL team across India this season, closely followed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI).

While CSK and MI have been eliminated from the competition, defending champions RCB have made it to their second successive IPL final.

The excitement of the league influenced shopping behaviour 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", Google India added.

Published on May 28, 2026