Ganguly’s 'Googlies' leave cricket legends stumped in Google’s new ad

The Indian Premier League (IPL) isn’t just a cricket tournament—it’s prime time for entertainment, both on and off the field. As fans passionately support their teams, cricketers are equally active off the pitch, stepping into the advertising world with as much flair as they display on the pitch. From viral moments in stadiums to clever brand campaigns, the IPL becomes a goldmine for marketers looking to tap into the cricketing frenzy.

One of the most memorable recent campaigns was Dream11’s Aapki Team Mein Kaun?—a playful showdown featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Aamir Khan. The star-studded film also brought together cricket heavyweights such as Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and R Ashwin alongside Bollywood stars like Arbaaz Khan and Jackie Shroff.

Now, there’s another campaign creating quite a buzz— and it’s got cricket fans feeling nostalgic. Legends such as Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, and Mohammad Kaif have reunited for a Google ad, but here’s the catch: they’re all a bit miffed at none other than Sourav Ganguly, aka Dada.

The 2-minute film opens with Sehwag lamenting how his peaceful post-retirement plans have gone awry, thanks to Ganguly’s latest obsession—Googlies. One by one, Kumble, Watson, Ponting, and Kaif share their ordeal: surprise phone calls from Dada, who tests them with bizarrely simple questions and mocks them for not knowing the answers.

For the unversed, Googlies by Google is a curiosity-driven campaign designed to make Google search fun again. It introduces quirky, seemingly straightforward questions that uncover unexpected, often fascinating answers when searched.

And, in the new spot, Ganguly is so hooked to this feature that he calls himself “Sourav Gangoogly”. His playful taunts are relentless—calling Sehwag “a nawab without a jawab” and telling Watson, “Watto, you don’t know squatto”.

Tired of Dada’s antics, Sehwag and Kaif beg Google to keep him busy—and Google delivers. The platform now drops a daily Googly for users to crack, with prizes and a chance to meet their favourite cricketers up for grabs. But the real punchline? Not even Google could save them. Dada is still out there… throwing Googlies like only he can.

The campaign is conceptualised by Bare Bones Collective.

This is Google’s second campaign for Googlies, the first one was launched in October last year in collaboration with Ogilvy. Back then, the campaign targeted a younger audience, mostly Gen Z, driven by curiosity to try out Googlies. This time, it’s betting on the nostalgia factor by onboarding senior cricketers and aiming to connect with millennials and cricket fans alike.

Earlier speaking to afaqs!, Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer at Ogilvy, revealed that the campaign's name itself has a clever double meaning, drawing from cricket jargon where a 'googly' is a delivery that surprises batters. Similarly, every Googlie question appears deceptively simple, yet conceals surprising answers that can be uncovered only through a Google search.

Also Read- How Ogilvy helped Google turn its Search into a game of ‘Googlies’

To expand the reach of its campaign, Google India has also partnered with popular pan-India influencers such as Sakshi Keswani, Diksha Rawat, and Dhruv Shah. In a series of relatable and witty videos, these creators demonstrate how everyday queries—from “chargers near me” to “designer lehengas under Rs 10k”—can be easily answered with a quick Google search.

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The idea is to gently nudge users back to the habit of searching instead of instinctively heading straight to e-commerce or quick commerce apps. Through this influencer-led push, Google is reinforcing the versatility and usefulness of its core product—Search—in solving both big and small moments of curiosity.

Google is making a strategic move to keep its classic search feature relevant at a time when AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google’s own Gemini, Perplexity, and Elon Musk’s latest buzz-worthy entrant, GrokAI, are dominating how people seek information. By launching this campaign, the tech giant is tapping into nostalgia and humour and reminding users that searching can still be fun, simple, and surprisingly engaging.