Kumar Bahukhandi
As the Men’s T20 World Cup gets underway across India and Sri Lanka, cricket fever is spilling beyond stadiums and into airports. New data from Skyscanner reveals a strong demand in flight searches as Indian fans plan travel around match schedules, underscoring how cricket continues to drive travel decisions across the country.
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SuryaKumar Yadav, Brand Ambassador, Skyscanner
With India entering the tournament as defending champions under Indian Men’s T20 captain and Skyscanner Brand Ambassador, Suryakumar Yadav, fans are not just watching from home, they are travelling to be part of the atmosphere. In the weeks leading up to the tournament, Skyscanner recorded an increase in searches to host cities, particularly in January, reflecting growing momentum as the first ball approaches.
Reflecting on the role fans play, Suryakumar Yadav said “I still go back to that catch from the 2024 final – not just for the moment, but for the roar. I think about the fans who travelled across the world just to be our heartbeat in the stands. In India, cricket isn’t just a game, it’s how we live. This World Cup takes us across seven beautiful cities, starting from my home ground at Wankhede, and I know that no matter where we play, the fans will always be there to cheer us on. When the journey is taken care of, you’re free to just lose yourself in the game. I can’t wait to hear that roar from the stands again.”
From Fixture List to Flight Search
Fixtures for the tournament were announced on 25 November 2025, triggering an immediate rise in travel planning. Skyscanner tracked flight searches with travel dates between 7 February and 8 March, covering the full tournament window across India and Sri Lanka.
Overall, India-related searches to host cities started in November, rising throughout the following months, eventually peaking in January. Search volume during week of 19 January went up to 63% higher than the week before. During the most recent week of 26 January, Skyscanner saw search volume reached the highest so far for the travel period during the T20 match period, 35% higher than the week of 19 January. While search demand could be due to various reasons, this is a strong indication of mounting interest from both Indian travellers planning domestic trips and international travellers searching for travel to India for the World Cup period.
Search interest for international host cities Colombo and Pallekele (Kandy) began building earlier, with momentum picking up from November 2025 and peaking through December and January, suggesting that fans planning cross-border travel are booking further in advance compared to domestic trips, driven by visa considerations, flight availability and longer travel lead times.
The travel demand seems to also align with the highly anticipated India versus Pakistan match on 15 February in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Searches for outbound travel to Colombo around the match weekend grew by 9% during the week of 8 December, compared to the previous week, making it a possible travel trigger of the tournament so far.
Neel Ghose, Destination and Travel Trends Expert, Skyscanner India, added, “We’re seeing cricket play a growing role in travel planning. Fans are aligning trips with key fixtures, from domestic flights between Indian cities to cross-border travel for major matches. The World Cup highlights how large-scale sporting events are influencing both the timing and purpose of travel among Indian travellers.”
Skyscanner expects search interest to remain strong throughout the tournament, particularly around knockout-stage matches and potential India fixture, underlining how cricket in India continues to translate directly into high-intent, travel-led behaviour.
About Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a global leader in travel that helps travellers plan and book their trip with ease and confidence. Every month, Skyscanner connects millions of travellers, in 180 countries and 37 languages, to more than 1200 trusted travel partners so they can find flight, hotel or car hire options.
Founded in 2003, Skyscanner has offices worldwide, in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America where traveller-first innovations are developed and powered by data and insights. Making use of the latest technology, Skyscanner simplifies the complexity of travel and provides honest and transparent solutions, searching around 100 billion prices every day so travellers can be sure they’ve seen the best possible options, all in one place.
