“What do they know of cricket, who only cricket know,” famous dialectician and author CLR James wrote in ‘Beyond a Boundary’ - widely regarded as the finest book written on the game of cricket. James was suggesting that mere knowledge of technicalities of a discipline, that too something as profound as team sport, isn’t sufficient. One needs to understand the history, sociology, culture and ethos that goes behind giving a sport its enduring appeal amongst the people who follow.
Take for instance, the appeal of cricket in India- a topic that has fascinated historians, sociologists and anthropologists alike. Various reasons are offered why cricket has had such enduring appeal - eleven people trying to dismiss one batter (which appeals to sub-continental psyche of a hero against all odds), the sheer abundance and depth of rules (which appeals to our epistemological and often pedantic mindset), role which luck and weather play in the outcome - toss and who gets to bat first, rain emerging as saviour, sudden wind/dew affecting ball speeds etc. are aligned with subcontinental view of life that respects power of nature, karma and God.
These are all compelling and interesting reasons - possibly the actual reason is a combination of all these. Anyway, as a business executive and a cricket aficionado, I must say that I am equally curious about the impact this great game has on food consumption patterns - especially if viewed from the perspective of food delivery. To begin with this IPL season gave us sufficient data points and food for thought!
IPL Delivers, Again
At an overall level, there was a 10 percent increase in order per minute on the day of an IPL match. Further, the weekend matches commanded another 10 percent increase, as compared to matches on weekdays. The most interesting aspect came from our newest campaign- Swiggy Sixes- which translated into an incremental order per day that ranged between 25,000-30,000 - a huge success by any stretch.
Heuristically, excitement around IPL is very strong around the beginning of the season, then mellows during mid phase, before picking up again towards the finals. But even during the mid-season dip, Swiggy Sixes ensured a strong momentum delivering solid incremental orders per day.
The overall user engagement also witnessed a significant uplift, where New Users orders increased by 36 percent. It appears that the IPL season whetted many a “dormant” appetite, as orders from customers who hadn’t ordered in the last 90 days also went up by 14 percent- most of this demand coming during the IPL games. The Repeat User orders witnessed a growth of 10 per cent- indicating broader engagement across cohorts.
Increase in Orders from ‘Other’ Cities
Needless to say, the cities with the flagship teams- Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and so on, witnessed a surge in demand during the days when their teams were playing, but the more salient aspect came from Tier 2 cities, some of which witnessed astounding increase in the overall order value. For example- Patna witnessed an increase of 40 percent in IPL 2025 when compared to order value in IPL 2024. Other worthy mentions were Bhubaneswar, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Mangalore- which witnessed an increase of 35%, 32%, 26% and 22% respectively.
The order value surge in these cities is also a testimony to the proliferation of the F&B business in these cities, where not only several national and international brands have opened/expanded their presence, but also where many a new restaurant or cloud kitchen- often first generation entrepreneurs have begun their enterprises. Then there are legendary places, who are able to cater to a wider geographic area, because of food delivery services.
Biriyani Rules
What is not surprising however is the enduring popularity of Biryani. Even in the IPL orders, it continues to be the highest selling item especially in the four cities of Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata- interestingly each city has its own salient claim on biryani provenance. MS Dhoni has often spoken about his love for biryani, and the appeal and connection which this wonderful dish has with cricket, makes one reminiscent of how Michael Jordan’s penchant for eating a meal of steak and potatoes, gave that humble dish a strong association with basketball and NBA!
Till next time,
Rohit
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