From cricket, recipes to AI: Google reveals what India searched in 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, Google India has revealed the data behind the nation’s collective curiosity, compiling a wide-ranging A-to-Z of what Indians searched for most this year.

The report outlines how India’s searches spanned everything from cultural staples and global trends to tech innovations.

The undisputed champion of trends was the Indian Premier League (IPL), which emerged as the #1 most searched event nationwide, an affirmation that India’s greatest religion is cricket. 

Sport was the overall trending theme for 2025, with the Asia Cup (#3), ICC Champions Trophy (#4), Pro Kabaddi League (#5), and Women’s World Cup (#7) featuring in the top 10 search list. 

2025 was also the year when artificial intelligence (AI) went beyond just being a buzzword. Google’s AI assistant Gemini was the second-most searched word in India on Google Search. While Elon Musk’s Grok was at #8. 

Bollywood movie, Saiyaara, driven by a strong promotional campaign, took #9. At #10 was veteran actor Dharmendra, whose health concerns and later demise prompted a spike in searches.

The ‘A-to-Z’ list compiled by Google provided a snapshot of the diverse currents shaping 2025. For ‘B,’ the trend was Bryan Johnson on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast. 

Under ‘E’, searches for ‘earthquake near me’ surfaced as the top utility-style query, highlighting how search remains a go-to for urgent, real-time information. 

Cultural nostalgia and culinary curiosity also featured prominently. Under ‘T & U’, traditional recipes such as thekua and ukadiche modak trended, along with old favourites like idli. 

In a global twist, ‘Y’ stood for Yorkshire Pudding, signalling a surprising spike of interest among Indian home-cooks in international delicacies.

Under ‘Z’ appeared Zubeen Garg, the Assamese singer-composer whose death prompted an outpouring of tributes. 

Nationally significant topics such as Maha Kumbh, a major cultural-religious gathering, and searches related to national security under the label 'Operation Sindoor' spiked too.