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Skyscanner Turns IPL Travel Planning into a National Hotline Moment

Over 3000 Fans dial in for IPLseason travel planning tips voiced by Suryakumar ‘SKY’ Yadav 35% callers were keen to learn tips from SKY about last minute travel planning, while 1 in 7 callers tried a vibe check with SKY Under eight days, the campaign has already crossed 21 million in reach through outdoor and social platforms, and continues to gain traction   Skyscanner, leading global travel app extended cricket fandom beyond stadium stands and into the travel choices fans make around IPL fixtures with ‘ Hotline to SKY, ’ a firstofitskind travel helpline featuring prerecorded tips voiced by cricketer and brand ambassador Suryakumar ‘ SKY ’ Yadav. Designed to help fans navigate matchday travel during the ongoing IPL season, the hotline invited callers to access quick, practical guidance on planning their journeys.    In just eight days, the activation logged over 3,000 calls, underlining how live sport is increasingly shaping domestic travel decisions. By blending cricket culture with everyday travel dilemmas, the hotline delivered concise advice on flying smarter, staying flexible and finding better value as fixtures unfold across India.   SKYled social reels extended the hotline’s impact, translating matchday curiosity into practical travel considerations for fans. Link 1 Link 2 What cricket fans were calling about Call data highlights how closely fans are thinking about travel alongside the tournament:   35% of callers tuned in specifically for lastminute travel planning tips, navigating sudden schedule changes and highdemand routes 31% of callers were interested to learn about longer itinerary planning and budget friendly ways to travel Nearly 1 in 7 callers dialed in for a quick “vibe check” with SKY, adding a personal, mooddriven layer to the experience   Beyond the hotline, the campaign reached nearly 20 million people via outdoor billboards across Delhi and Mumbai, and over 1 million through social engagements across channels.   What Fans Discovered on the Hotline As IPL 2026 runs from 28 March to 31 May, bringing new venues, packed weekends and shifting fixtures, fans tapped into the hotline to simplify common matchday travel challenges, including:   A new gateway into Mumbai’s match action With Navi Mumbai International Airport opening ahead of this season, SKY pointed fans to Skyscanner’s Nearby Airports feature, helping them spot alternate routes into host cities. Skyscanner search data shows a 10x monthonmonth spike in searches for Navi Mumbai International Airport over the 10–12 April match weekend, underlining growing awareness and intent.   Following the tournament, not just one team  For fans undecided on which matches to attend, the hotline spotlighted Skyscanner’s Explore Everywhere feature, enabling openended discovery of where the bestvalue matches are taking place. From highaltitude fixtures in Dharamshala to classic rivalries at Eden Gardens, the feature encourages fans to build travel plans around experiences, not just locations.   Staying flexible when fixtures move Recent schedule changes, such as the Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings match shifting from Ahmedabad to Chennai on 26 April, highlighted how dynamic the IPL calendar can be. SKY guided callers through Skyscanner’s Flexible Dates feature, helping them identify costeffective travel windows even when plans change late.   Tracking fares before the big games sell out Ahead of blockbuster clashes like MI vs CSK on 23 April and its reverse fixture on 2 May, fans were encouraged to set up Price Alerts, allowing them to monitor fare movements and book at the right moment, before both flights and seats fill up.   Additionally, fans didn’t just call for logistics, many stayed on to hear SKY’s personal reflections on matchday energy, pressure and preparation, making the experience feel as entertaining as it was useful. When asked about his favourite travel memory, SKY said “ My favourite memories are when you see fans coming from another city, wearing their team’s jersey, full of belief. As a player, that energy hits different. That’s when you realise cricket is more than a game — it’s pure emotion. ”   Cricket Travel Demand Accelerates Skyscanner data indicates that interest in IPLlinked travel continues to build across key host cities as marquee fixtures approach. Commenting on the campaign’s success, Neel Ghose, Skyscanner Travel Trends and Destinations Expert, said, “ With cricketled travel now firmly established, we wanted to focus on making the planning itself simpler and smarter. By bringing Skyscanner’s tools — like Nearby Airports and Explore Everywhere — into an easy, conversational format through SKY, we’ve helped fans move quickly from curiosity to action. The response shows that people aren’t just asking ‘Should I go?’ but ‘How do I make this trip work?’ — and that’s exactly the gap this campaign set out to address. ”   Designed as a quick, intuitive experience, the hotline followed a familiar behaviour: reaching for the phone when you need fast answers. Strong callcompletion rates across the activation further reflected how relevant the content felt during peak match weeks.   With key fixtures still ahead, Skyscanner expects momentum around matchrelated travel to continue building through the remainder of the IPL season, as fans look for flexible, valuedriven ways to follow the action. 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.

22 Apr 2026 3:35 pm