In IPL 2026, cricket lovers got to see fours-sixes and exciting matches on the field, but along with this, a different celebration of food and drink was also seen across the country. During the matches, people ordered food in large numbers and booked tables in restaurants, due to which there was a huge boom in food delivery and dining business.
More than 32% increase in food delivery orders
According to food delivery platform Swiggy, food orders on its platform increased by 32.31% during IPL 2026 as compared to the previous season. At the same time, an increase of 41% was recorded on an annual basis in restaurant bookings through Swiggy Dineout.
Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad remained at the forefront
During the second qualifier on 29th May and the final match on 31st May, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad were the cities with the highest number of food orders. At the same time, demand increased rapidly in cities like Surat, Thiruvananthapuram and Vadodara.
Highest demand for biryani and sweets
During the matches, people ordered chicken biryani, chicken fried rice and veg burger the most. Pav bhaji and chicken popcorn were very popular among snacks. Among the sweets, Choco Lava Cake, Tender Coconut Ice Cream and Rasmalai were liked the most.
More than 6,200 orders in a minute
During the second qualifier on May 29, more than 5,200 orders were registered in one minute at 8:12 pm. In this match, a customer from Gurugram ordered 45 special veg thalis and spent Rs 20,205.
Two days later, the demand for food increased further during the final match. During the final between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans, the platform saw an average of more than 1,300 orders every minute. More than 6,200 orders were registered in a single minute at 7:56 pm.
There was huge crowd in restaurants also
Many cricket fans turned to restaurants with friends and family instead of watching the match at home. For this reason, an increase of 41% was recorded in Swiggy Dineout bookings during IPL 2026.
Maximum table bookings took place in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. Whereas Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Lucknow emerged as emerging markets.
A bill of Rs 2.14 lakh
During a qualifier match on May 29, a group of 20 people watching the match in Bengaluru racked up a restaurant bill of Rs 2,14,061, one of the biggest bills of the entire season. On the day of the final also a record of restaurant booking was made in Bengaluru. As compared to 17th May, bookings in the city were 32% more on 31st May.
Cricket increased food business
IPL 2026 once again proved that cricket in India is not just a game but a big social and entertainment festival. During the matches, people ordered food extensively, held parties in restaurants and the food industry got additional business worth crores of rupees.
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