Google Trends 2017: IPL emerges as the most searched sporting event in the year

Mumbai Indians won the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League.

The tenth edition of the IPL, which began on April 5 and culminated on May 21, featured a total of eight teams. Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians lifted the trophy for a record third time after beating Rising Pune Supergiants in the final. This edition was also the last time that two franchises of Gujarat and Pune featured in the IPL.

ICC Champions Trophy

Mohammad Amir dismissed Virat Kohli in Champions Trophy 2017 final. (Source: File)

The eighth edition of the Champions Trophy was held in England this year. While the weather did play spoilsport in the initial half of the tournament, the latter half witnessed high-octane matches where each team gave their utmost. India and Pakistan qualified for the all-Asia finals where a brilliant spell by seamer Mohammad Amir blew away India as the men in green lifted their maiden Champions Trophy. The 2021 edition of the Champions Trophy will be held in India.

Wimbledon

Roger Federer kisses the trophy after defeating Croatia’s Marin Cilic to win Wimbledon 2017. (Source: AP)

At the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, the 2017 edition of Wimbledon was held. History was made as Roger Federer became the first man on the planet to lift the title for the eighth time. The victory over Marin Cilic also saw Federer extended his record to 19 Grand Slam titles.

WWE Wrestlemania

WrestleMania was held in Orlando, Florida this year. (Source: WWE)

The thirty-third annual WrestleMania was held in Orlando, Florida this year. Like each year there was huge excitement as superstars descended upon the Citrus Bowl. MAtches between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg and Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker generated huge excitement. WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania was held in April.

Pro Kabaddi

Pro Kabaddi 2017 final was the most watched non-cricket event on TV. (Source: PKL)

The fifth season of Pro Kabaddi was a massive success where the highest viewed non-cricket event in India, bagging a record viewership of 313 million. Patna Pirates won the finals by defeating Gujarat Fortunegiants.

US Open

Rafael Nadal landed a 16th career Grand Slam at the US Open. (Source: AP)

The 2017 US Open was the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year. But this time it was Rafael Nadal who won the title by beating Kevin Anderson. However, top players like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka were missing out of action. The 31-year-old Rafael Nadal landed a 16th career Grand Slam at the US Open.

FIFA U-17 World Cup

England U-17 football team were congratulated by Prince William on winning their maiden U-17 World Cup. (Source: AP)

The U-17 World Cup was the first time that India was hosting a FIFA World Cup. While the home side failed to qualify through the group stages, the entire tournament caught the imagination of the fans. Fans flocked to the six host stadiums throughout the competition as England lifted their first FIFA title since 1967.

Royal Rumble

30th Royal Rumble was also the second one in Alamodome.

WWE’s another fan favourite pay-per-view (PPV) event, Royal Rumble, took place in January this year at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This was the 30th Royal Rumble and the second one in Alamodome. Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble after eliminating Roman Reigns. He would later go on to win the title at Wrestlemania.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur slammed an epic 171 against Australia in the semis.

The 11th edition of the Women’s World Cup was also held in England this year from June to July. History was made at the tournament as England defeated India in the finals at Lords to lift the title. While the Indian eves failed to win the tournament their performance left the entire nation in awe. Particularly impressive were Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana.

Indian Super League

This is the fourth season of the ISL. (Source:  ISL)

The ISL saw its fourth season commence this year with Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC as the two new entries. However, unlike the previous editions this time it is scheduled to be a five-month long affair. The finals will occur from the second week of March 2018 with the final occurring on 17 March 2018 in Kolkata.