Google Year in Search 2022: Indian Premier League tops as most searched subject in India

In the last few years, the Indian Premier League has proved why cricket is considered to be a religion in India. Franchises willing to pay more than INR 3500 crores to own a team is a yardstick that clearly defines the massive upsurge in the popularity of the sport in India. So much so, that the Indian Premier League has been the most searched subject in the 2022 calendar year.

In the 15th edition of the marquee tournament, two new franchises - Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants - were introduced, making the tournament a ten-team affair. The first match of the season saw a replay of 2021 final as Chennai Super Kings challenged Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Despite winning the match by six wickets, the Knights had a poor season, as they finished seventh in the league.

The new franchise, on the other hand, was very impressive as the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans lifted the trophy in their very first season. Lucknow Super Giants too qualified for the playoffs but lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 14 runs in the Eliminator. On the night of the finals, the Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals to win the prestigious trophy.

Even though the tournament was played behind closed doors because of Covid-19, the craze among fans was at an all-time high this season. Ever since the mega-auction in February, the fans were curious to know multiple new facets of the new season and their curiosity remained throughout the year.

Nothing changed even after the tournament got over. With the mini-auction for the upcoming season is set to take place on December 23 in Kochi, fans are once again excited ahead of the new season. Since all the teams are making significant number of changes in their squad, there is once again a surge to know things related to the tournament. 

Meanwhile, other than the Indian Premier League, six other sporting tournaments were among the most searched subjects in the top 10. FIFA World Cup ranks at number three while Asia Cup at fourth, the T20 World Cup at five, Commonwealth Games at eighth and the Indian Super League at ten.