IPL for Gen Z: Cricket, commerce, and connected screens

For India’s Gen Z, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is no longer just a cricket tournament. It has become a multi-layered experience where entertainment, peer interaction, gaming, and commerce come together.

The second edition of the ET Snapchat Gen Z Index, which tracked this demographic during the three-month IPL season, found that 85% of Gen Z follow the tournament—well ahead of other sports. Male engagement is higher at 91%, and followership is strong among those aged 24–28 at 89%. More than half of regular followers watch every match or most of them.

Cricket remains king. But it’s shared, not solo
You cannot take cricket out of Indian blood, and the Gen Z are not even trying. For them, too, cricket just ‘slaps’. Cricket continues to dominate, and Gen Z is no exception. The survey, powered by Kantar, shows that 64% of Gen Z watch IPL matches with family and 48% with friends. The mix of entertainment, convenient timing, and cultural relevance has made the tournament a regular fixture in their social lives.

Fantasy gaming turns fandom into financial play
Fantasy sports platforms like Dream11, MPL, and My11Circle have become central to the IPL experience. While earlier generations watched passively, Gen Z is actively participating.

About 63% of Gen Z respondents said they have played fantasy sports, and 44% of working Gen Zs do so regularly, often aligning their picks with live matches. The main driver is money: 44% cited winning cash as their reason for playing, compared with just 2% who said it was about testing sports knowledge. Another 31% said the appeal was competing with friends.

This trend points to a link between disposable income and participation in reward-driven digital platforms, as employed Gen Z use these games to balance risk, gratification, and social validation.

Second screening shifts advertising from recall to action
Another key behaviour is second screening. About 81% said they use another device while watching the IPL, and more than half of them engage with IPL-related content at the same time.

This habit is changing how ads work. Some 53% of Gen Z viewers said they searched for or bought a product after seeing it during an IPL ad. For advertisers, this shows how contextual triggers drive instant action, not just recall.

Gen Z’s interest in IPL is deepening, not declining
Despite assumptions about short attention spans, 62% of Gen Z said their interest in the IPL has grown over time, while only 27% said it had declined. The tournament continues to deliver experiences through stadium events, fan parks, and meet-and-greets that keep audiences connected.

Gen Z’s engagement with the IPL shows more than fandom. It reflects how entertainment and commerce are converging. From fantasy sports and social viewing to impulsive digital shopping, the IPL has become both a sporting spectacle and an engine of digital economic activity.

Read full report here