INFLUENCER MARKETING around the Indian Premier League is expanding rapidly, with brand spending expected to reach nearly Rs 700 crore in 2026, according to a new analysis released by creator intelligence and collaboration platform Qoruz.
The report tracks creator activity, engagement patterns and brand spending across IPL seasons between 2023 and 2025. It shows that spending on influencer collaborations during the tournament has grown from an estimated Rs 250 crore in 2023 to around Rs 550 crore in 2025, with projections suggesting the market could cross Rs 700 crore during the upcoming season. This represents an average annual growth rate of about 40 per cent over the four-year period.
The analysis also notes that total IPL digital advertising expenditure stood between Rs 3,200 crore and Rs 3,800 crore in 2025, and is expected to increase to between Rs 3,800 crore and Rs 4,400 crore in 2026. Within this, influencer marketing is projected to account for approximately 16–18 per cent of total digital ad spending during the upcoming season.
Alongside rising budgets, audience engagement around creator-led IPL content has grown sharply. Interactions across social platforms increased from around 1.4 billion in 2023 to roughly 2.6 billion in 2025, marking an overall growth of nearly 86 per cent in just two years.
The report attributes much of this expansion to a surge in creator participation. The number of creators posting IPL-related content has risen from about 645,000 in 2023 to nearly 1.2 million in 2025 and is projected to exceed 1.5 million creators in 2026.
Among platforms, Instagram remains the dominant channel, accounting for around 52 per cent of creator content related to the IPL. It is followed by YouTube with 28 per cent, while X contributes about 12 per cent and Facebook roughly 8 per cent of overall creator activity.
In terms of content categories, sports creators generate the largest share of engagement at 32 per cent, followed closely by arts and entertainment creators at 30 per cent. Meme-driven content contributes a significant 18 per cent, highlighting the role of humour and real-time reactions during the tournament. Fashion and beauty creators together account for about 8 per cent, while travel and food creators contribute roughly 6 per cent. The remaining 6 per cent is spread across other categories, including health, lifestyle and niche content segments.
Creator tier analysis suggests that while large influencers continue to drive reach and visibility, mid-tier and micro creators contribute a substantial share of overall engagement. According to the study, brands allocate around 32 per cent of their influencer marketing budgets to A-list creators, while mega creators receive approximately 25 per cent of spending. Macro creators account for about 18 per cent of brand budgets, micro creators receive roughly 15 per cent, and nano creators make up the remaining 10 per cent share of spending and engagement.
Sector-wise, FMCG brands lead creator collaborations with about 32 per cent of total partnerships, followed by e-commerce and retail brands at roughly 17 per cent. Consumer technology and telecom companies account for around 15 per cent of influencer activity, while entertainment and OTT platforms contribute nearly 16 per cent of campaigns during the tournament. Fintech and payments brands make up around 10 per cent of collaborations, automotive brands represent approximately 6 per cent, and the remaining 4 per cent comes from sectors such as travel, wellness and other niche industries.
Qoruz co-founder and CEO Praanesh Bhuvaneswar 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.”
Qoruz co-founder and head of brand alliances Aditya Gurwara 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 percent of creator engagement happens before the match even starts, around 16 percent during live reactions, but nearly 50 percent 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.”
