IPL 2020: Most popular teams on social media

The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) concluded successfully recently. The T20 league, which is undoubtedly the most followed cricket league, was played in UAE due to the ongoing COVID 19 situation in India. UAE not only has previous experience of hosting IPL but was also capable of providing a bio-secure bubble to ensure the players’ safety. The support of the fans encourages the teams’ morale which boosts the confidence of the players and they are always delighted to perform before their fans. Fans are the most important part of IPL and every year they bring many innovations to uplift their team. As this year the matches were played behind closed doors in UAE, the only way the fans were able to connect with the teams was through social media. Since the inception of the IPL, all franchises have been striving to develop a connection with the fans by building a community on social media platforms. All the teams’ official accounts and handles keep their fans up to date with the happenings regarding their team, may it be the team announcements, injury updates, or new signings. Here we will be ranking all the IPL teams on the basis of their followers on social media: 8. Rajasthan Royals: 6.7m followers Rajasthan Royals have been the perennial underdogs of the IPL. Unlike all other teams, a foreign player (Shane Warne) was their icon player for the inaugural season of the IPL. Under his captaincy, Rajasthan Royals defied all odds to win the IPL in 2008. They have deployed the “Moneyball” strategy under Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid during their respective stints at the Jaipur-based team. After their triumph in 2008, Rajasthan Royals failed to reach the final in the IPL. In the 2013 CLT20 tournament, RR finished runners up. Their all-time top run-scorer is Ajinkya Rahane (3098 runs) and their leading wicket-taker is Shane Watson (67). The official Facebook page of the Royals has recorded a total of 4.1 million likes on the page thus far. The Twitter handle of the franchise has 1.3 million followers on the microblogging website. Instagram account has 1.3 million followers. They have the least fan-following among all the IPL teams on all three social media platforms which could be due to them not competing for the IPL title since 2008. 7. Sunrisers Hyderabad: 10.2m followers Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of the best-run franchises in the IPL. They don’t have the most glamorous players but they let their cricket do the talking. Hyderabad Deccan Chargers were a part of the original 8 teams in the 2008 IPL campaign. After winning the trophy in 2009, they underwent a few poor seasons, and change in ownership meant that Sunrisers Hyderabad would come to life in 2013. The primary home ground of the team is the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The Orange Army have been one of the most consistent sides in the last 5 seasons of the IPL and they have also won it in 2016. They have been known for their strong bowling line up which features the likes of Bhuvi and Rashid but they are also home to some of the top batsmen in world cricket like Warner and Williamson, who have been the winners of the orange cap in 4 out of the last 6 seasons among themselves. They haven’t only been dark horses on the field, but in terms of social media as well with their Facebook page having 5.9 million likes. The official Twitter handle of the franchise is has attracted 2.3 million followers so far ever since they came into the fray of the IPL. The Instagram handle of Hyderabad has an overall 2 million followers on their account. 6. Delhi Capitals: 10.3m followers Delhi Capitals, previously known as Delhi Daredevils, are the only franchise on this list to have changed the name of the team. Although the Feroz Shah Kotla-outfit has finished table toppers on two occasions, they hold the unfortunate record of failing to qualify for the playoffs 8 times. The franchise is jointly owned by the GMR Group and the JSW Group. Delhi Capitals are currently one of the strongest teams on paper. Current coach Ricky Ponting and former coach Rahul Dravid have managed to build a team around youngsters such as Shreyas Iyer and Rishab Pant. They were still a work in progress in previous seasons but having added experience in the form of Ravi Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, and Mohammed Shami, they look like the real deal. The Facebook page of Capitals has attracted a total of 6.8 million likes so far in the last 13 years of its existence. The official Twitter handle of the Delhi franchise has just crossed 1.6 million followers. The Instagram account of the Delhi Capitals has the second least number of followers with a total of 1.9 million followers. 5. Kings XI Punjab: 12.5m followers Kings XI Punjab are one of the three teams to have never won the IPL. A lot of cricket fans have a soft spot for KXIP due to their co-owner Preity Zinta. This could be the reason why they have a higher fan following than the likes of SRH and RR, who have won the title previously. The closest KXIP came to an IPL title was in 2014 when they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. The franchise has often promised a lot but failed to deliver in crucial games. The Kings played some of their best cricket during the UAE segment of the 2014 campaign. Despite performing under-par on a consistent basis, the Facebook page of KXIP has 8.5 million likes. The Twitter account, which has kept their fans gushing over their appearances on and off the field, has been followed by 2.2 million fans. The Instagram account of the Mohali-based franchise has attracted a total of 1.8 million followers. 4. Royal Challengers Bangalore: 18.5m followers Royal Challengers Bangalore have become the laughing stock of the IPL after failing to win the IPL on numerous occasions, despite having some very big names in their ranks. The Virat Kohli side has lost the finals in 2011 and 2016, but they have finished outside the top 4 in 8 out of the remaining 11 seasons. Despite not being able to win the tournament, the team has kept loyal fans stick to them who are once again hoping for their team to win the coveted title. The Royal Challengers Bangalore played some of their most exciting cricket from 2011-2017, which is also known as the Gayle-Kohli-De Villiers era. They have primarily been a batting heavy side with Kohli and Gayle winning the orange cap multiple times between themselves. 9.4 million cricket fans have been keeping an eye on the happening of events in RCB camp on their Facebook page. A staggering 4 million followers on Twitter is the testimony to the loyalty of their fans. The Chinnaswamy-based side also boasts a total of 5.1 million followers on Instagram. 3. Kolkata Knight Riders: 22.4m followers Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the most successful teams in the IPL as they have won two titles. Local boy Sourav Ganguly was chosen as the team’s icon player for the inaugural edition of the IPL. A complete revamp to their squad was required under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir for KKR to finally win the league in 2012. They have been very inconsistent after Gambhir’s departure, which has led to their downfall. The team, which is co-owned by famous Bollywood celebrities Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, play their cricket at Eden Gardens stadium. Their all-time top run-scorer is Gautam Gambhir (3345 runs) and their leading wicket-taker is Sunil Narine. They were the pioneers in the social media department as they were one of the first teams to cross 10 million likes on Facebook. The official Facebook page of KKR is which has around 16.1 million likes which is also partly due to the owner of the team Shahrukh Khan. The official Twitter handle of KKR has lured a total of 4.2 million people to follow them during or after the tournament. Their Instagram account, however, has failed to become more popular with only 2.1 million followers. 2. Chennai Super Kings: 24.9m followers The Yellow Army has been the most consistent side in all of IPL as they have made the playoffs in each and every season except for IPL 2020. The MS Dhoni-led side is the first franchise to win the IPL in consecutive years (2010 and 2011). Mumbai Indians recreated this feat in IPL 2020. They were also banned for a couple of years due to their owner’s alleged involvement in betting, but they made a fantastic return to the tournament by winning their third title in their comeback season. They have also won 2 CLT20 trophies. Chennai Super Kings is definitely one of the most talked-about teams in the history of the IPL and they have a very passionate fan base to solidify the fact. The official Facebook page of the franchise is very popular and they’ve garnered a total of 12.5 million likes on the website. CSK’s Twitter handle has 6.2 Million followers and has kept their fans busy by providing minute to minute updates about their favourite cricketers. After a slow start to their Instagram account due to the ban, CSK have now managed to rope in 6.2 million followers. 1. Mumbai Indians: 25.2m followers Mumbai Indians are not only the most successful team in IPL history but are also the most followed team on social media. The Wankhede-based outfit has won 5 IPL titles and also have 2 CLT20 crowns under their belt. They chose local lad and arguably the best player of all time Sachin Tendulkar as their icon player in 2008. Rohit Sharma was elected captain midway through the 2013 captain and has been absolutely sensational in his leadership. Similar to Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians have also based their success on a strong core which consists of some very good Indian players like Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Krunal Pandya. They have also had the privilege of fielding T20 legends such as Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga. The official Facebook page of MI has 13.3 million likes which is the second-highest ever among all the eight teams. The Twitter handle of the franchise has a staggering 5.9 million followers. The Mumbai Indians Instagram handle has acquired more than 6 million on their Instagram account, which is the highest among all the teams.

Topics

Featured Section

Current Series

Cricket Fantasy Tips

Cricket Stats

IPL Teams

ICC Rankings

Interviews

Twitter Reactions

Cricket Appeal

Social Tracker

More Links

# Follow Us

Other Sports

IPL 2020: Most popular teams on social media

Which team is the most followed on social media when it comes to the IPL?

5. Kings XI Punjab: 12.5m followers

Latest Articles

Zimbabwe vs Pakistan, 1st ODI: Match Prediction

WBBL 2024: Match 39, MS-W vs AS-W Match Prediction

Have KL Rahul opening throughout the tour: Dodda Ganesh