Each team in the Indian Premier League has built its separate fanbase. Once the tournament gets going, the cricket fanatics in India and across the world also compete against each other. Which team in the IPL is the best remains a bone of contention. For some, it is Mumbai Indians, some are ardent Chennai Super Kings followers, while others are Royal Challengers Bangalore fanatics or Rajasthan Royals addicts.
As the new season of IPL is around the corner, enthusiasm is rising amongst cricket fans. With various discussions on IPL in gatherings and events, people are sure to discuss which IPL team has the most fans. According to a study by Ormax Media on IPL franchise fans, MS Dhoni and Virat are the most popular cricketers. However, MI, CSK, and Royal Challengers Bangalore make up 75% of the fan following in the Indian Premier League. Well, different studies come up with different team names to have the highest number of fans. Interesting, isn’t it? The comparison between the fan-following different IPL teams is not always easy. Let’s take a look at most fans in IPL Team 2021 and analyze which team has an exceptional fanbase.
Fan Base of IPL Teams 2021
During the IPL season in India, the competition is not only amongst the teams but also their fans. While each team has a separate fan base, some teams have more following than other teams. For instance, Mumbai Indias, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings are the most followed teams on social media.
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Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians is the IPL team that has won the title four times and is one of the top teams to have the largest fan following. The MI franchise cricket team has had strong players such as Keiron Pollard, Rohit Sharma, Quinto de Cook, Pandya brothers, and mentorship by Sachin Tendulkar. Owing to such players, the followers of Mumbai Indians have increased massively. For instance, on social media platforms, Mumbai Indians has over 4.5 M Instagram followers, 13.1 M on Facebook, and 5.5 M on Twitter. It is easy to see a blue wave across the Wankhded Stadium each time Mumbai Indians are playing. With about 23 million followers across different social media platforms, MI is certainly the IPL 2021 team with the highest number of fans.
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is another IPL franchise cricket team with a large following since the inception of IPL and stands in the second position on this list. Even a person who doesn’t take much interest in cricket can guess why CSK got so popular. Well, of course, all credit goes to ‘Thala Dhoni’ (Mahendra Singh Dhoni). MSD has been a Skipper for CSK and helped the team win the IPL title thrice. Amongst fans from different Indian states, the fans from Chennai are considered the most passionate. On social media, CSK has about 2.3 M fans on Instagram, 12.5 M fans on Facebook, and 5.5 M on Twitter. Overall, the team has a total of 22.4 million fans on social media.
Kolkata Knight Riders
The third franchise cricket team on the list is the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned KKR. Kolkata Knight Riders are jointly held by Bollywood Start Juhi Chawla and her husband, Jay Mehta. So far, KKR has won two IPL titles and has been a successful team in the Indian Premier League. Since 2008, Kolkata Knight Riders gained massive fans and had the biggest sponsors. A huge credit for the team’s fame also goes to Shah Rukh Khan. On social media platforms, Kolata Knight Riders have over 2.3 M Instagram followers, 16 M followers on Facebook, and 4.3 M followers on Twitter. Overall, a total of 22M fans are following Kolkata Knight Riders on different platforms.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The IPL team RCB, known for its Skipper, Virat Kohli, has a great following as well. Unfortunately, the team has not been able to win any IPL Trophy in IPL The presence of the all-rounder international player, AB de Villiers, is also one of the main factors for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to be loved by fans despite their failure to win the title. The love of the fans can be felt each time RCB plays home matches in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. In IPL 2021 social media following, the team had about 4 million followers on Twitter and 5.1 M Instagram followers.
Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab is the IPL team co-owned by Preity Zinta, a Bollywood Celebrity. Although the franchise cricket team has not had sound performances in many IPL matches, it did reach the Finals in 2014 but lost to KKR. The social media numbers for Kings XI Punjab are not too great; however, Preity Zinta’s presence has garnered followers for the team. The followers for this Mohali-based franchise on social media platforms are as follows: 8.5 M pages likes on Facebook, 2.2 M followers on Twitter, and 1.8 M Instagram followers.
Delhi Capitals
Formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, Delhi Capitals is one of the strongest IPL teams. In IPL 2021, the Delhi team secured a place in the PlayOffs for the first time in the Indian Premier League history. Due to the constant shuffling of players every IPL season, Delhi Capitals is one of those IPL teams that hasn’t harnessed the fame of the big players to attract followers. The number of followers the team has managed to attract and retain for IPL 2021 is 6.8 M on Facebook, 1.6 M on Twitter, and 1.9 M on Instagram.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad has been able to win the Indian Premier League trophy twice. However, the popularity of the team in terms of social media numbers is not too great. The franchise is in a growing phase and has most fans from South India. Sunrisers Hyderabad was formerly known as Hyderabad Deccan Chargers and was one of the original 8 IPL teams in 2008. However, with a change in ownership, the name of the team changes as well. In IPL 2021, the social media figures for the team were as follows: 5.9 M likes on Facebook, 2.3 M followers on Twitter, and 2 M followers on Instagram.
Rajasthan Royals
One of the original 8, the Rajasthan Royals were the winner of the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008. Unlike other IPL cricket league teams, Rajasthan Royals had Shayne Warne as their icon player during the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. The team failed to reach the finals in IPL after their victory in 2008 and finished as runners-up in 2013. The team hasn’t had the privilege of having any famous players as their constant, so the franchise is not very popular on social media. In Indian Premier League 2021, the social media figures for Rajasthan Royals looked like the following: 4.1 M likes on Facebook Page, 1.3 M followers on Twitter, and 1.3 M followers on Instagram.
The Bottom Line
Indian Premier League is nothing less than a festival for cricket followers. Irrespective of what the social media numbers reveal, we all know that all the teams receive a great deal of love and support from their followers. In fact, there are teams that garner the support of the Bollywood Celebrities associated with the team, while others get the support from the followers of the big cricket Players. The question of which IPL team 2021 has the most followers may be answered through these social media figures; however, this is bound to change in the coming seasons.
So whether it is Mumbai Indians that you support, Rajasthan Royals, or any other franchises, what matters is that cricket and fantasy sports are the common link that connects millions across the globe. Millions of people across the globe either watch IPL matches on the screens or blend the fun of IPL by playing fantasy cricket online.
