Best IPL ads: GOATed campaigns of the cricket season

The Indian Premier League 2024 is finally here to give us some succour from the boredom of the summer months. Inarguably, the second best thing about the IPL season is the ad campaigns that we are treated to.

India's biggest sporting tournament sees close to 130 million viewers every season, making it a marketing bonanza for brands. With crores of ad monies pumped into marketing campaigns, they create advertising spectacles worthy of of the nation's attention.

An unforgettable IPL ad is a perfect mix of captivating visuals, celebrity cameos, a catchy hook and a generous dash of humour. Over the years, we have witnessed some of amazing ad campaigns that made us look forward to commercial breaks even during the most nail-biting matches. Here's a list of the best IPL ads of all time.

Amazon

e-Comm giant's memorable Chonkpur Cheeta campaign during 2017 IPL showcased the trials and tribulations of a fictional small-town cricket team and the role of Amazon in helping them. In 2018, the campaign picked up from where it left off in 2017, showing how the team moved on to take on a bigger city. The elements of humour, relevance and relatability make it one of the most memorable ones we've ever seen. The campaign was created by Ogilvy, Bengaluru.

CRED

CRED has been consistently getting many things right about what Indians want to see in ads. In 2022, the brand's "Play it Different" campaign happened to thrill us all with some mindblowing cameos and pleasant 90s nostalgia. The ads were conceptualised by Tanmay Bhat, Devaiah Bopanna, Puneet Chadha and Deep Joshi. The film was produced by EarlyMan Films with Ayappa KM as director. This one is for the books. 

Dream11

Dream11's 2023 campaign was released to the sound of a million jaws hitting the floor. By bringing together India's two biggest obsessions -- Bollywood and Cricket -- the campaign capitalised on the 3 Idiots nostalgia, casting lead actors Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. Reiterating its Sab Khelega proposition, the campaign shows the actors calling a press conference, announcing their decision to play cricket as cricketers are also moonlighting as actors in ads these days. Acting by cricketers Rohit Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rahul Chahar drew a lot of praise as did the ad itself. This sheer feat of awesome-ery was conceptualised by Tilt Brand Solutions. 

Sony Set Max

This list will have no credibility if it doesn't include the OG, Sony SET MAX's "Manoranjan Ka Baap" commercial, which set the tone for the then DLF IPL Championship as the biggest entertainer on television. Released in 2008, the campaign became synonymous with IPL, remembered for its over-the-top visuals, clever humour and overall awesomeness. It was conceptualised by TBWA\India and produced by Soda Films.

Swiggy

Swiggy's "No Order Too Small" campaign introduced us to India's beloved Swiggy Uncle, played to perfection by actor Naresh Gosain. The campaign features bite-size ads where the gourmand orders one sweetmeat at a time, sometimes a laddoo and sometimes a gulab jamun, much to the chagrin of his wife. The 15-second ads packed a punch despite having no dialogue between the main characters. Swiggy Uncle returned the next season, this time expanding his palette for other foodstuffs such as sushi, croissants and cupcakes. 

Zepto

When three maestros -- Usha Uthup, Shankar Mahadevan and Kalisash Kheer -- meet, you expect a musical extravaganza of epic proportions. However, in 2022, the three lent their golden voices and high notes to endorse Zepto's IPL campaign. Conceptualised by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, the ad campaign showed the three singers as everyday characters, highlighting Zepto's 10-minute delivery proposition.