ICC Men's Champions Trophy: Restaurants, pubs pad up for India-Pak match

As the Men in Blue take on arch rivals Pakistan in the ICC Men's Champions Trophy on Sunday, restaurants and pubs in the city are expecting a surge in footfalls. 

 

“India-Pakistan is always a much awaited match and this one is coming after a long time, which will ensure people come out in full force to cheer on their team. As the match is on a Sunday, and both innings are in a conducive time zone, we do expect footfall to be present through the day,” says Rahul Singh, founder and chief executive officer at The Beer Cafe. 

 

The match will be screened live at all 51 outlets of the cafe across 21 cities, with deals on beer buckets and cocktails. “We are looking at serving over 10,000 guests and revenue will be in excess of Rs one crore on the day,” he added

 

Pebble Street, a sports bar with a capacity of 100 people in Delhi’s New Friends Colony, will be screening the match live and is sold out for the night. “We have tied up with sports experiences company Fantopark to provide discounts on packages for guests who win the in-house pub quiz we’ll be playing,” says Ashish Ahuja, director at the establishment.

 

In Mumbai, too, the excitement is bubbling. 

 

Era, a Chinese and north Indian establishment in the city is running offers on beers and expecting at least 150 guests during the first innings. “Footfall will be a lot more in the second innings, especially if India is batting at the time. We will also have live commentary throughout the match,” says Shawmit Choudhary, founder, Era. 

 

Choudhary expects revenue to be 50 per cent more than a normal Sunday. 

 

“For high-profile matches like India-Pakistan, we typically see approximately 30 per cent increase in footfall and revenue compared to a regular weekend. Given the intense cricket fanbase in Mumbai, demand surges significantly, driven by higher group bookings, extended table occupancy, and increased spending on food and beverages. Special match-day offers also contribute to a higher per-person spending,” says Eesha Sukh, founder of The Bluebop Cafe in Khar.

 

With props and live music along with the screening, the cafe is also running offers on beer buckets, pizzas, and cocktails and has also introduced cricket-themed cocktails for the occasion. 

 

The frenzy surrounding the clash has also sent airfares soaring, as last-minute travellers scramble for flights. The rush has pushed ticket prices on key India-Dubai routes to unprecedented levels, with fares nearly three to four times higher than usual.

 

On Friday evening, spot airfares for non-stop flights reflected this surge. A one-way ticket from Delhi to Dubai for Saturday stood at ₹41,162, dropping slightly to ₹38,852 for Sunday — compared to the usual ₹11,000-14,000 when booked a month in advance. Mumbai travellers faced a similar spike, with fares at ₹28,199 for Saturday and ₹30,830 for Sunday, far exceeding the typical ₹8,000-12,000 range. Bengaluru saw the steepest increase, touching ₹42,065 on Saturday before easing to ₹35,529 on Sunday. From Ahmedabad, the lowest fare for Saturday was ₹32,161, while Sunday’s rate was ₹29,673—nearly three times the norm.

 

The India-Dubai air corridor remains one of the busiest, with 1,078 flights operating weekly, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Emirates leads the charge on this high-traffic route, followed closely by IndiGo and Air India Express. However, with demand peaking ahead of the much-anticipated cricket showdown, even the most seasoned flyers are feeling the pinch of sky-high fares.