Since its creation in 2008, the Indian Premier League has seen several teams come and go, and some that stood the test of time. However, the success it has experienced over the last decade has been highly beneficial for the sport and India as a country.
This year’s edition of the Indian Premier League will see the addition of two new teams. This will make the league even more competitive and allow new talents to rise and make history. In the IPL, some teams are more popular than others due to their achievements, the city they’re located in, and many other factors.
In this article, we’ll rank the most popular IPL teams.
What Are the Most Popular IPL Teams?
Regardless of the sport, finding many teams with equal rankings is not easy. Some tend to perform better than others, probably because of the quality of the team or the coaching staff. There are up to ten teams currently in the IPL, and here’s how they are ranked from the most popular to the least popular.
- Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai super kings top our list as the most popular team in the IPL. It has the highest social media following and is a favorite IPL team of professional bettors. CSK is the most consistent team in the league, and it has won up to four trophies.
The fans are very devoted to their team and players, and they have some of the most talented players in the IPL. They are led by their famous and skillful captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. They have the largest following on social media in the IPL, with 9.6M on Instagram, 13M followers on Facebook, and 8.2M on Twitter.
- Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians are the best team ever to grace the IPL. They have won five titles compared to CSK’s four, and Mukesh Ambani owns the franchise. The team began its journey in 2008 with one of the most famous captains in the IPL, Sachin Tendulkar.
It took a while before the team lifted their first trophy, and since then, their game performances have been impressive with successive wins. Their Facebook account has over 13M followers, with 9M on Instagram and 7.3M on Twitter.
- Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders are the third, with two trophies. The franchise is mainly owned by the famous Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan, and he pulls many of his natural followers to the team. They have up to 16M Facebook fans, with about 3.0M and 4.7M followers, respectively, on Instagram and Twitter.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the most exciting teams in the IPL. They hold the record for the highest score of an IPL inning at 263, recorded in 2013. They have top-rated players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers but have failed to win titles. However, they have a loyal fanbase with nearly 10M Facebook followers, 5.5M Twitter followers, and a little above 8M Instagram followers.
- Punjab Kings
The Punjab Kings, formerly known as Kings XI Punjab, is the 5th most popular team in the IPL. Although it is one of the underperforming teams, it has had big names like Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag; hence, they have a lot of fans. They have a combined social media following of 13.8M followers across major platforms.
- Delhi Capitals
Formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, this team has been very inconsistent and hasn’t won a title since its creation. In 2019, a rebrand proved fruitful as they have been qualifying for the playoffs and also played their first finals in 2020. They have 3M followers on their Instagram page, 7.8M on Facebook, and a little over 2M on Twitter.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Sunrisers Hyderabad replaced the Deccan Chargers franchise in 2013. They won their first and only trophy in 2016, led by their illustrious captain David Warner. Soon after, he parted ways with the team, and they got a new skipper in Kane Williamson. They have 6.1M Facebook followers, 2.6M on Instagram, and 2.9M on Twitter, with a huge growth projection in the coming months.
- Rajasthan Royals
The Rajasthan Royals were the first-ever IPL team to win a trophy and since then have failed to qualify for the league. The franchise was also suspended for the 2016 season for breach of regulations. Even after their return, they’ve failed to reach the heights of their maiden season in the IPL. They have 4.8M fans who follow them on Facebook, 2.2M on Instagram, with about 1.9M on Twitter.
- Lucknow SuperGiants
The Lucknow SuperGiants are a fledgling franchise in the Indian Premier League. The team is managed by Andy Flower and supervised by Gautam Gambhir. On Facebook, 167K people follow the franchise, with 584K and 452K followers on Instagram and Twitter.
- Gujarat Titans
This is another new franchise in the IPL, with 50K Facebook followers, 254K Instagram followers, and 87.3K followers on Twitter. The team is promising, and everyone, especially bettors, looks forward to their performance in the upcoming IPL season.
Conclusion
These are the most popular teams in the IPL ranked based on the fan base and followership they have built over the years. So naturally, the older teams show more popularity and success. However, the newer franchises come into the league with much to prove.
