From Snacks to Meals: Match Day Sparks Surge in Food App Orders

As India crushed New Zealand in the Men's T20 World Cup final on Sunday, online food and quick commerce platforms reported a sharp spike in orders, with viewers staying locked to their screens and avoiding kitchen breaks. Brands across food delivery and instant delivery categories leaned into the cricket buzz to drive spending over the weekend.

Tata-owned BigBasket recorded one of the strongest lifts among quick delivery players, with orders up 60% versus business-as-usual levels by 9 pm on Sunday. The peak came as evening parties built up around the match, with users stacking up snacks, drinks and last-minute supplies through the app.

Quick commerce apps push match corners and party essentials

Quick commerce apps like Zepto, Amazon Now, Blinkit, Instamart, BigBasket and Flipkart Minutes prepared for the rush with dedicated match corners. These sections highlighted Team India jerseys, snacks, beverages and party gear, giving users a one-stop zone for viewing plans in the days before the final.

Quick commerce apps and food platforms roll out cricket offers

Food delivery platforms also leaned on promotions around the title clash. Zomato rolled out a three-day weekend offer starting Friday, designed to capture demand from group screenings at homes. Swiggy introduced a “₹75 cash back” deal for Sunday, and also hosted “predict and win” games tied to the final.

Flipkart Minutes used the build-up to the big game to push fashion and match essentials on its quick commerce apps format. A spokesperson for the service said the focus was on metro users and emerging cities, where fans stocked up on clothing and accessories before settling down for the match broadcast.

"In the lead up to the game, we have observed close to a 10% surge in orders across match essentials such as jerseys, men's t-shirts, sneakers and caps, as customers settled in to catch the action across key metro cities and beyond, including Ahmedabad, Agra, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Durgapur, Hyderabad, Nashik, Jamshedpur and Ranchi," a spokesperson at Flipkart Minutes told media.

The surge in demand during the Men's T20 World Cup final underlined how online food and quick commerce platforms now sit at the centre of big match viewing in India, as fans across large and smaller cities turned to apps for both meals and cricket-themed essentials.