Indian T20 League: Ranking franchises with most number of followers on social media platforms

Since the beginning of the Indian T20 League in 2008, its popularity has grown significantly with time. Meanwhile, after the boost in internet uses along with the emergence of social media, the popularity of the tournament has grown exponentially. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been used by several teams and players to allow fans to interact more personally with their idols.

Also, these platforms have helped teams to grow and develop unique and effective brand strategies to attract deals and sponsorships. Notably, till 30th March 2023 all ten current Indian T20 League teams have more than 170 million fans on different social media platforms. In this article, we will rank teams' highest following on social media.

10. Lucknow (2.6 million)

Lucknow (Source: Twitter)

The costliest team in the history of the Indian T20 League Lucknow joined the league after its expansion in 2022. Having players like KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, and Krunal Pandya team has performed exceptionally in their first season. Under the leadership of KL Rahul, the team qualified for the playoffs and finished in the top 4 last year.

Notably, Lucknow has a significant fan base on social media as they interact with the audience differently. They have 1.7 million followers on Instagram, 743.2 thousand followers on Twitter, and 248 thousand likes on their Facebook page. Overall, in a year, they have a fanbase of 2.6 million people on social media and rank 10th on the list.  

9. Gujarat (3 million)

Gujarat (Source: Twitter)

The defending champions of the Indian T20 League 2022 were also inducted after the expansion of the league. In their debut season, they put up an amazing performance and clinched the title in the very first season. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, the team managed to play and win the first ITL trophy.

Talking about their fan following on social media, the team gets great support here too. Despite being a year old in the league, they have a significant number of followers on social media. On Twitter, Gujarat has 433 thousand followers, while on Facebook and Instagram, they have 514 thousand likes and 2.1 million followers, respectively.

8. Rajasthan (9.8 million)

Rajasthan (Source: Twitter)

The inaugural champions of the cash-rich league have been one of the most active teams on social media platforms. Using unique techniques to attract an audience, they have one of the best marketing teams in the league. However, talking about the numbers, the team has over 9.8 million followers on all social media platforms.

Rajasthan has 2.8 million followers on Instagram, 2.6 million followers on Twitter, and 4.4 million followers on its Facebook page. The team from pink city, Jaipur ranks 8th in the list with a huge margin over Gujarat and Lucknow.

7. Hyderabad (11.9 million)

Hyderabad (Source: Twitter)

The team from the Deccan Plateau has been one of the most consistent teams in the league. Hyderabad won an Indian T20 League trophy in 2016 under the leadership of David Warner. However, since then they are trying their best to make it double, but have failed to do so.

However, speaking about their fan following on social media, they rank 7th on the list with 3 million followers on Instagram, 3.1 million followers on Twitter, and 5.8 million likes on Facebook. They rank among the top teams in the tournament. 

6. Delhi (13.7 million)

Delhi (Source: Twitter)

The team from the capital city of India ranks sixth in the list of the most followed team on social media. Although they have failed to win any trophy in the tournament, they have managed to create a pretty loyal fan base on social media. Delhi has had players like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and David Warner, who love to create content on social media, which helps them to interact with fans.

Riding on these things, Delhi has 3.5 million fans on Instagram, 2.5 million followers on Twitter, and 7.7 million followers on Facebook. They have an overall 13.7 million followers on social media and will be willing to grow it more in the upcoming season.

5. Punjab (14.1 million)

Punjab (Source: Twitter)

The team which hails from the northeast part of the country comes with an amazing social media team. They curate and create interactive videos and content to engage with fans on regular basis. However, they rank fifth on the list with an overall fan following of 14.1 million.

The team which has barely managed to qualify for the playoffs in two seasons in the last fifteen years has a great social media fan base and shockingly ranks in the top 5. They have 2.8 million followers on Instagram, 2.9 million fans on Twitter, and 8.4 million likes on Facebook.  

4. Kolkata (24.9 million)

Kolkata (Source: Twitter)

The team from the city of Joy has a great fan following in Bengal and the northeastern part of the country. Having a good connection with Bollywood as King Khan owns the team, they have managed to entertain the fans on social media. The two times champions have a great fan following on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

On Instagram, Kolkata has a fan base of 3.6 million followers, on Twitter they have 5.1 million followers. while their Facebook page has 16.2 million followers. Notably, they are the most liked Facebook page of any Indian T20 League team.

3. Bangalore (26.2 million)

Bangalore (Source: Twitter)

Having greats like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle Bangalore has been able to put up amazing performances for the fans in the Indian T20 League. Although they have failed to win any title in the tournament, they have a great fan base. Bangalore is among those franchise that hosts various events to interact with and engage fans throughout the year.

Speaking about their fans on social media, they rank third in the list with overall 26.2 million followers. On Instagram, Bangalore has 10.3 million followers, 6.5 million followers on Twitter, and 9.4 million followers on Facebook.

2. Mumbai (32.4 million)

Mumbai (Source: Twitter)

The five-time champions and league's most successful team, Mumbai ranks second in the list of most followed Indian T20 League franchises on social media. Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai is one of the most engaging teams on social media. Apart from ITL, they also conduct various cricketing leagues to encourage the sport in the country.

The Men in Blue and Gold have more than 32 million followers on social media as they just lag behind Chennai in the list. Mumbai has the highest number of Instagram followers, 11.5 million. On Twitter, Mumbai has eight million followers, while Facebook contributes 12.9 million followers on their page.

1. Chennai (33.1 million)

Chennai (Source: Twitter)

The yellow army of Chennai has the most social media followers among the Indian T20 League teams. Chennai. who has been playing under the leadership of MS Dhoni since the first season, has been able to qualify for the playoffs in 9 seasons. They have been interactive and engaging on social media.

They have overall 33.1 million followers on social media, which includes 12.4 million followers on Facebook, 9.4 million followers on Twitter, and 11.3 million followers on Instagram. Notably, Chennai has the highest number of followers on Twitter for any other team.