Look Who Dropped the Ball

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not just another cricket tournament. The Indian equivalent of the US Super Bowl has, over its 18 years, also seen marketers launch new brands and dazzling advertising—whether it is the adorable Vodafone Zoozoos or the endearing uncle sneaking in a quick gulab jamun in the Swiggy ads.

- CHRISTINA MONIZ

It was during the IPL that CRED became a household name, evoking nostalgia with stars such as Madhuri Dixit, Rahul Dravid, and Zeenat Aman. And let's not forget the Kingfisher commercials with the brand's jingle "Oo La La La Le O" (2015).

During this time, the cost of IPL ad time has shot through the roof—with some 10-second spots reportedly going for more than ₹25 lakh this season—but that hasn't intimidated advertisers. TAM Sports notes the number of advertisers in 2025 went over 100, compared to 80 last year. While brands across FMCG, financial services, technology, food, and beverage categories continue to pony up, experts observe few campaigns managed to become showstoppers this year.

"IPL has become the new Diwali when brands launch their biggest campaigns. The problem is creativity becomes an afterthought, and the only metric is how many times the ad was aired," says Viraj Gawas, co-founder & producer, Crazy Few Films.