Spending on creator-led campaigns surges nearly 3x in four years, as brands increasingly tap into distributed creator ecosystems and post-match engagement to capture audience attention during IPL.
Influencer marketing around the Indian Premier League (IPL) is witnessing rapid expansion, with brand spending projected to reach nearly Rs 700 crore in 2026, according to a new report by creator intelligence and collaboration platform Qoruz.
The analysis, which tracks creator activity, engagement trends, and brand investments across IPL seasons from 2023 to 2025, highlights a sharp upward trajectory in influencer-led campaigns. Spending has grown from approximately Rs 250 crore in 2023 to an estimated Rs 550 crore in 2025, reflecting a robust annual growth rate of nearly 40%.
This surge positions influencer marketing as one of the fastest-growing components within IPL’s broader digital advertising ecosystem.
Influencer Marketing Gains Share in IPL’s Digital Ad Economy
The report estimates that total IPL digital ad spending stood between Rs 3,200–Rs 3,800 crore in 2025 and is expected to rise to Rs 3,800–Rs 4,400 crore in 2026. Within this, influencer marketing is projected to account for 16–18% of overall digital spends during the upcoming season.
This growing share signals a structural shift in how brands approach IPL marketing, moving beyond traditional ad formats toward creator-driven engagement strategies that blend entertainment with real-time participation.
Creator Participation and Engagement See Sharp Growth
Audience engagement around IPL creator content has also grown significantly. Social media interactions surged from 1.4 billion in 2023 to 2.6 billion in 2025, an increase of nearly 86 % in just two years.
This growth is closely tied to a rise in creator participation. The number of creators posting IPL-related content has nearly doubled from 645,000 in 2023 to 1.2 million in 2025, and is expected to exceed 1.5 million in 2026.
Importantly, engagement is no longer concentrated among a handful of top influencers. Instead, it is increasingly distributed across a wider base of creators, indicating a more democratized content ecosystem.
Instagram Leads, but Multi-Platform Play Strengthens
Platform-wise, Instagram continues to dominate IPL influencer activity, accounting for 52 % of total content. YouTube follows with 28% , while X contributes 12% and Facebook around 8 %.
This platform mix reflects a blend of short-form, real-time, and long-form content strategies that brands are leveraging to maximize reach and engagement across different audience segments.
Sports, Entertainment and Meme Culture Drive Conversations
The report identifies sports creators as the largest contributors to engagement, accounting for 32 % of total interactions. Arts and entertainment creators closely follow at 30 %, while meme creators contribute a notable 18 %—highlighting the growing importance of humor and real-time cultural commentary during the tournament.
Other categories such as fashion, beauty, travel, and food collectively add to the diversity of IPL-related content, reinforcing the league’s position as a multi-category cultural moment rather than just a sporting event.
Brand spending patterns reveal a gradual shift toward a more balanced creator mix. While A-list influencers still command 32 % of budgets and mega creators receive 25 %, brands are increasingly investing in macro (18 %), micro (15 %), and nano creators (10 %).
This distribution reflects a strategic move to scale engagement through volume and authenticity, rather than relying solely on high-reach influencers.
FMCG and E-commerce Lead Brand Participation
FMCG brands account for the largest share of influencer collaborations at 32 %, followed by e-commerce and retail at 17 %. Consumer tech and telecom contribute 15 %, while entertainment and OTT platforms make up 16 % of campaigns.
Fintech and payments brands account for 10 % of activity, with automotive brands contributing 6 %—indicating broad-based participation across sectors.
Commenting on the findings, Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, Co-Founder and CEO of Qoruz, said,
“IPL is no longer just a broadcast moment, it’s an economy in motion. It’s one of the few moments where demand for attention is guaranteed, but supply of attention isn’t. Everyone shows up, but not everything gets seen. What’s changing is that value is now being created in places that didn’t exist a few years ago. IPL isn’t just being watched anymore, it’s being participated in, and that’s where attention is fragmenting and resurfacing across creators.”
The report also highlights how engagement peaks beyond live matches.
Aditya Gurwara, Co-Founder and Head of Brand Alliances at Qoruz, added,
“IPL is one of those moments where the internet behaves exactly like cricket fans do. Everyone shows up early for the hype, reacts loudly during the match, and then spends the next hour discussing what just happened. Our data reflects that too. About 34% of creator engagement happens before the match even starts, around 16% during live reactions, but nearly 50% comes after the match, when creators and fans start breaking down moments, celebrating wins, or roasting friends. For brands, that post-match window is where a lot of the real conversation happens.”
As creators become central to how audiences engage with live events, brands are increasingly aligning their IPL strategies around participation, relatability, and real-time storytelling—making influencer marketing a critical pillar of the league’s evolving digital ecosystem.
