The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not just another cricket tournament. The India 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. 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.
Most brands are chasing eyeballs because of the IPL’s massive viewership. That is natural considering the sheer visibility that brands enjoy from the tournament. The June 3 final between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore alone saw over 578 million viewers on JioHotstar. Unfortunately, reach doesn’t equal recall, remind experts.
Noting that this season’s advertising was rather underwhelming, strategist and independent director Lloyd Mathias says, “There is an emphasis today on growth and performance marketing, so we see a lot of tactical marketing and low memorability advertising. Campaigns today have a much shorter lifespan, which means that advertisers are investing less time and money on these campaigns.”
He argues that advertising is not just about performance but also building an emotional connect and long-term brand equity. “Consumers still fondly recall the Vodafone Zoozoos because the brand managed to create an emotional connection ,” says Mathias. “There is over-reliance on quantity rather than quality,” adds Gawas. “The advertising this season became more about presence than impact.”
The one campaign that was singled out for praise by experts Brandwagon spoke to was Dream11’s Aapki Team Mein Kaun featuring Bollywood A-listers like Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, along with several cricketing heroes.
Breaking the clutter
So does the answer lie in brandishing a celebrity … always an Aamir Khan or a Sachin Tendulkar?
Not really. Brands need sharper audience insights, creative and media planning, say experts. “Cohesive multi-platform storytelling and tighter measurement frameworks can help unlock more value from each rupee spent. In a cluttered feed, cultural familiarity beats complexity,” says Russhabh R Thakkar, founder & CEO at Frodoh.
There are lessons to be learned from those that got it right in previous seasons. As Rajnish Rawat, co-founder & CEO of Social Pill, points out, ad films by CRED and the Kingfisher commercials were more than just advertising. They found a way to become part of cultural conversations around the IPL. “Earlier seasons gave us characters and campaigns we remembered long after the final match. This year, most ads felt templated. Creatively, we’re still playing it safe. There’s a difference between running ads during IPL and creating ads for IPL. The former gets you visibility. The latter builds brand love,” says Rawat.
He singles out the Spinny ‘God Promise’ campaign featuring Sachin Tendulkar. The creative not just cut through the noise but was amplified across other media like digital, social, radio and outdoors.
According to Vinod Kunj, founder & CCO, Thought Blurb Communications, trashing 2025 IPL advertising as disappointing would be an exaggeration. In his view, brands like Angel One, Amul and Parle Marie did well creatively and Durex impressed with its social media creativity. But there is ample room for improvement, he adds. “When you write an ad film script, think about this: Will the brand’s message last beyond the duration of the game? That is the litmus test,” he sums up.