IPL’s big bet on influencers to draw in young viewers is paying off

Creators are driving engagement not just about matches but life off the field, too. Comic Viraj Ghelani adds humour and relatability to Mumbai Indians’ social media outreach. Punjab Kings hosted a Creator Day to bring more than 30 influencers together. Travel vlogger Taran Singh calls himself a water boy of Rajasthan Royals, nudging his Instagram audiences towards the team’s content. And there’s much more.

“There’s been a significant increase in influencer marketing across the board. The creator economy is booming, and teams are adapting fast,” said Saurabh Arora, chief commercial officer at Punjab Kings, adding that the team has increased its spending on influencers this year based on promising return on investments in the previous seasons.

“Approximately 15% of our IPL marketing budget is dedicated to influencer and creator-led campaigns,” Arora said. “It’s a strategic allocation that allows us to scale reach, build relevance, and connect directly with fans, especially digitally native audiences.”

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The eighteenth edition of the IPL, which kicked off on 22 March, has already raked in 49.56 nillion minutes of digital viewership, a 40% jump over the previous season, JioHotstar reported. This was driven by a 54% surge in connected television consumption. Traditional TV viewership also rose 39% to 253 million viewers in the first three matches–the biggest opening in the league’s history.

Marketing strategy transition

The transition from conventional to influencer marketing in the IPL, which gained momentum over a couple of years, is primarily targeted at digital-native Gen Z audiences. This demographic values authenticity and relatability more than celebrity-driven advertisements.

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“IPL marketing has evolved over time, shifting from celebrity endorsements to influencer partnerships that offer a more organic and authentic reach,” said Jagriti Pahwa, a Chandigarh-based creator with GenZ making up 60% of its audience. “This resonates deeply with GenZ, who value genuineness and relatability.”

The 27-year-old, with over 844,000 followers on her Instagram handle @iamjagritipahwa, said, “Influencer collaborations with popular cricketers also foster a sense of reliability and excitement among my audience, as they see one of their own interacting with the stars of the cricketing world.”

The current IPL season has seen the emergence of young players dubbed ‘Gen Bold’, and influencer marketing initiatives amplifying their popularity apart from their older and more celebrated counterparts.

“This emphasis on ‘Gen Bold’ and the rise of young cricketing talent is part of our youth-focused approach,” said a Mumbai Indians spokesperson in an emailed response to Mint’s queries. “That’s why we’re leaning into pop culture and creators who already speak their language. It’s less about cricket-specific narratives and more about making sure MI feels fresh, exciting, and authentically connected to the next generation of fans.”

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Jasmeet Singh Bhatia, a creator for over 12 years with over 120,00 subscribers on his YouTube handle @DuhJizzy, said the teams are “trying to humanize” their stars by bringing out their everyday avatar into the public domain beyond just their game on the screens.

Moreover, the younger players are media-savvy and not nervous in front of the camera, according to Bhatia. “Our job is to set the right social media narrative so they do not appear too frivolous and cast the image of a serious cricketer,” said Bhatia, who collaborated with Punjab Kings for the second time in a row this year.

Videos featuring the team’s younger players have garnered twice as many views as those with the older players, he said.

Influencer marketing is also preferred for its transparency and accountability as it is data-driven, helping teams maximize the output on their investments.

“A key advantage of digital media campaigns is measurability. With influencer marketing, we can track views, reach, and engagement in real time, along with sentiment analysis, providing genuine insights to refine future campaigns,” said Sunil Gupta, CEO of Delhi Capitals. “Additionally, brands and sponsors are increasingly interested in collaborating with influencers, which helps us to monetise and upsell such content to them, driving greater return on investment.”

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Brands are not far behind the organisers and teams on social media marketing. Companies are poised to invest ₹550 crore on influencer marketing during IPL 2025, according to a report by influencer intelligence platform Qoruz. Based on a survey of over 3000 brands, the agency predicts that the digital streaming and consumer industry will lead in this spending.

“IPL is nothing short of a festival that becomes an integral part of viewers’ daily routines and conversations for two months it airs,” said Aditya Gurwara, co-founder and head of brand alliances at Qoruz. “Brands don’t want to miss this marketing opportunity, so even if they’re not official sponsors, they advertise and find innovative ways to tap into the cricket frenzy, investing crores in campaigns around the ongoing season.”