MUMBAI; The wickets may be tumbling on the pitch, but in the advertising arena, it’s pure carnage — with brands smashing sixes every over. Fresh data from TAM Sports shows that ad volumes for IPL 18 (first 40 matches) have surged past last year’s figures, underlining one unchanging truth: nothing unites — or excites — Indian marketers like cricket.

The numbers tell a story of big bets and even bigger ambitions.

The top five categories — e-commerce gaming, pan masala, aerated soft drinks, digital wallets, and biscuits — have steamrolled the competition, grabbing nearly 60 per cent of the ad pie. In a cricket-mad nation, snack cravings and fantasy sports dreams are, clearly, recession-proof.

Leading the advertising scoreboard are heavy-hitters like Dream11, Parle Products, Sporta Technologies, KP Pan Foods, and PepsiCo India. Dream11, in particular, seems to be playing Test cricket while others are stuck in a T20 mindset — blanketing screens with a relentless media barrage.

But it’s not just the usual suspects jostling for screen time.

IPL 18 has welcomed a new squad of ambitious rookies: online payment apps, solar energy brands, smartwatches, and a fresh wave of wearable tech firms, all eager to cash in on the cricketing carnival. The brand line-up today mirrors a new India — digital-first, experimental, and willing to go big.

The scale-up is staggering:
* TV ad volumes during IPL 18 are over three times higher than in the pre-IPL season.
* New categories have grown by over 25 per cent year-on-year.
* Connected TV advertising has spiked, with brands now chasing the living room, the bedroom, and even the metro ride home.

Sports channels are having a summer of dreams, while GECs and movie channels quietly sulk. Every IPL season rewrites the broadcast pecking order — and 2025 is no exception.

Beyond TV, the smart money is on a multi-screen blitzkrieg. Brands are synchronising 10-second TV spots with mid-match mobile banners, OTT pre-rolls, and influencer-led meme storms. If you’re breathing and own a device, chances are someone is trying to sell you a soft drink, an SUV, or a fantasy cricket app right now.

Bottom line: IPL is no longer just a sports tournament; it's India's biggest marketing Super Bowl — stretched over two luxurious months.

The brands that win this season won’t just outspend rivals; they’ll outthink, out-hustle, and out-wow them.
Because in IPL 18, as in cricket, it’s not the cautious that survive. It’s the ones who know when to send it sailing into the stands.