The high-stakes match, scheduled from afternoon till night, is expected to draw large crowds to venues offering live screenings, with businesses across major cities bracing for a surge in sales.
Industry players are anticipating revenue jumps ranging from 15% to 40%, with some expecting to double their usual Sunday business.
Pubs, pints, & cricket
From Mumbai and Delhi to Bengaluru, pubs and breweries are planning watch parties and special promotions to capitalise on the excitement, banking on cricket’s ability to drive both footfall and consumer spending.
“It’s a super Sunday. It’s perfect timing from afternoon till night with a high-stakes match. We are organising watch parties at our outlets and expect considerably high footfall as people would gather in groups to indulge and cheer India in lifting the trophy,” said Rahul Singh, senior vice-president of the pubs and taproom division at B9 Beverages, which operates The Beer Cafe and Bira Taproom.
“Business wise we are very happy, as India’s on a roll. But the spikes came in India matches only. After winning the T20 lately, this series has garnered great interest,” said Singh.
“We can comfortably look at 2x growth in business when compared to a regular Sunday and we expect at least 10,000 guests to come in across our outlets,” he added.
The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, BTB Marketing, is targeting ₹200 crore in revenue by FY26 and plans to expand beyond its current 50 outlets across cities.
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At Lite Bite Foods, which operates brands like Punjab Grill and YouMee, special promotions are in full swing too.
“Such matches become the perfect way to cheer for Team India. A high-stakes cricket match like the Champion’s Trophy is always a big crowd-puller, and we anticipate a significant boost in footfalls compared to a regular weekend,” said Rohit Aggarwal, director of Lite Bite Foods Pvt. Ltd.
“With fans looking for the perfect spot to enjoy the game, special offers like beer bucket deals to drive longer stays and higher engagement. We expect a 15% surge in demand over any regular weekend with premium beers selling more. Events like these create a very lively atmosphere, attracting both regular patrons and new customers,” said Aggarwal.
Brewing big gains
Beer makers like Simba and Medusa Beverages are also bracing for higher sales.
“Big cricket matches—especially finals—always drive up demand, both in bars and restaurants as well as home consumption. While a lot of restaurants are running offers to pull in crowds, we typically see a significant uptick in retail sales as well, since many people prefer watching from home with friends and family too,” Ishwaraj Bhatia, chief operating officer and co-founder of Simba beer told Mint.
He added that the company typically observes a 15-25% increase in beer sales during major sporting events.
In Bengaluru the story is no different. Craft beer garden Geist Brewing Co., will be running schemes too. But there are those that will not as demand is already high on such days, said Mukesh Tolani, Toit Brewpub founder in the city.
Deals for every run
Cafe Delhi Heights in Delhi NCR is also running alcohol promotions across its outlets, expecting a 30% rise in business this Sunday. Meanwhile, Wow! Momo is tapping into its loyal customer base with targeted offers.
“From our own loyal database we’ve identified specific consumer cohorts who are active on match days and are doing special targeted offers for them like deals on every six or four runs scored, and other things like on run-chases and every half-century scored. These will be pushed out through app notifications and WhatsApp messages,” said Sagar J Daryani, co-founder of Wow! Momo.
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“Across all channels we feel with the entire Champions Trophy and the upcoming match on Sunday, we should definitely see 30-40% increase in transactions than a normal day,” he added.
Daryani also said that not all big matches but select matches where India is playing always get more traction, especially towards the end of the tournament. This time it was also the India Pakistan clash two weeks ago where orders soared. This business is expected to be double that of weekend matches during the IPL.
The momentum is expected to continue beyond the weekend, with the upcoming Formula 1 races from 14-16 March providing another boost to businesses catering to sports enthusiasts.
