IPL turns out to be recession-proof for fast-food chains

India’s largest pizza chain, Domino’s, said there is no consumer fatigue when ordering in on key IPL days. It also helps that companies double down on consumer promotions, making it easier and affordable for consumers to order food.

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“It’s still early, but we are already seeing more number of sixes and teams are scoring nearly 300 runs in a span of three hours. This is great entertainment for consumers, and we hope they come back and eat Domino’s. For us, it (IPL) continues to grow year-on-year; we are not sure about the broader market,” said Sameer Khetarpal, chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD), Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd.

The company launched its free delivery campaign during the last IPL. Recently, it has launched the six-in-one pizza, designed for large groups and big occasions.

This comes as IPL’s viewership continues to grow.

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The eighteenth edition of the IPL, which kicked off on 22 March, has already raked in 49.56 million minutes of digital viewership, a 40% jump over the previous season, JioHotstar reported. This was driven by a 54% surge in connected television consumption. Traditional TV viewership also rose 39% to 253 million viewers in the first three matches—the biggest opening in the league’s history.

Karan Taurani, senior vice president of Elara Securities, said the league offers companies a captive consumer base and has thus cemented itself as a consistent consumption occasion.

Email queries sent to Swiggy remained unanswered.

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Rebel Foods, which operates Wendy’s and Oven Story pizza chains in India, said it has increased marketing expenditure by as much as 10-20% this year to attract consumers during the cricketing season. The company also operates cloud kitchens.

Celebrate IPL with food

“IPL is one of the key consumption events in April-May especially because there are no major festivals; especially for deliveries,” said Nishant Kedia, chief marketing officer, India, at Rebel Foods.

“Cricket has historically been a high consumption occasion—it works for categories like pizzas, burgers and desserts. Last year’s IPL was great, with significant growth. However, this time around, growth is slightly lower than last—but we are still in the early days. This also overlapped briefly with Ramzan,” he said.

Aggression in offers during IPL continues, he added.

“There’s no fatigue at all—if anything, IPL only fuels the excitement around food delivery. We see a good surge in online orders during matches, especially larger group orders, as friends and families come together to watch the game. We have also seen 10-15% incremental orders coming from cities which have a match,” Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal, founder and director of Lenexis Foodworks, said.

The company operates brands such as Chinese Wok, Big Bowl and The Momo Co.

IPL’s extended duration sets it apart, said Agrawal.

IPL stretches for several weeks

“The third and second quarter are also massive for both dine-in and delivery. That period sees a significant lift in sales as people celebrate festivals, social gatherings, and occasions where food plays a big role. However, what sets IPL apart is its extended duration—it runs for several weeks, ensuring sustained engagement and repeated orders, unlike festivals that bring a short-term spike in sales,” he added.

Last year, the company reported a 60-70% jump in same-store sales growth. “We expect to see a similar trajectory this year,” he added.

Fast-food chains have been facing headwinds, especially in dine-in sales over the last few quarters amid high inflation and consumers diverting expenditure to other categories.

However, consumer sentiment is expected to increase gradually from quarter one of FY26, driven by potential interest rate cuts and fiscal measures implemented in Budget 2025, according to a report released by Motilal Oswal on Tuesday.

According to the report, consumer sentiment remains a key driver, particularly in small-ticket transactions, where positive sentiment translates into higher discretionary spending.

The promoters of HT Media Ltd, which publishes Mint, and Jubilant Foodworks are closely related. There are, however, no promoter cross-holdings.