NEW DELHI: When it comes to team dynamics and fan base engagement, the teams with the most conversations-starting fan bases included Royal Challengers Bangalore, with 33.7% more reach than Mumbai Indians, the second favourite team in the line-up. This was revealed in a study by iCubesWire, an ad-tech digital marketing platform, which analysed the Twitterverse to create a comprehensive sentiment analysis study on Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
According to the study, Chennai Super Kings is not far behind, with a reach that’s only 4% less than that of Mumbai Indians. However, it’s noteworthy that Gujarat Titans, currently leading the scoreboard, has 82.63% less reach than that of Royal Challengers Bangalore; that is a testament to the huge fan base of the team. Lastly, the Lucknow Super Giants hold the least reach among the top 5 teams.
The study closely monitored IPL-related conversations on Twitter, offering insights intothe intriguing patterns in public opinion around players, teams, captains, controversies and brands. The study is based on various data points, including the total number of mentions and the breakdown of neutral, positive, and negative sentiments for different categories. As a result, thereport’s key results provide actionable insights for industry professionals.
Among the players, Virat Kohli remained the undisputed king of Twitter buzz. However, the sentiment analysis also hinted at a love-hate relationship, with a considerable share of negative sentiment at 14.65%, indicating the polarized nature of the users on the platform.
SuryaKumar Yadav,with 45.3% positive sentiments,was not far too behind and was among the crowd’s favourites. However, the difference between the reach is considerable, with 71.89% less reach than Virat’s. Shubman Gill,despite having approximately 86% less reach than Virat, stood out among batsmen along with Faf du Plessis, garnering positive sentiments reflecting their favourable public image.
On the other side of the pitch, bowler Mohit Sharma became the most talked about bowler during the IPL 2023. Rashid Khan bagged the second favourite spot with 23.24% less reach than Mohit Sharma. At 66.06% less reach than Rashid, Mohammed Shami secured the third highest reach. Interestingly, Shami sparked considerable debate with 69.9%of the sentiments being negative.
In the captain’s corner, MS Dhoni remained the favourite captain with the highest share of positive sentiments at 38.2%. Rohit Sharma stood the ground as the second favourite captain with almost 58.48% less reach than that of Ms Dhoni. Followed by Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul and Faf du Plessiswith a significant difference of 81% less reach than Dhoni. In addition, KL Rahul’s captaincy received the largest share of negative sentiments among the captains at 27.4%. The Royal Challengers Bangalore Captain Faf du Plessis enjoyed the most favourable reach, with 33%
positive sentiments, emphasizing his popularity despite seeing less overall reach.
Commenting on the survey, Sahil Chopra, Founder & CEO, iCubesWire, says, “Cricket is not just a sport but an emotion in India, and IPL, a treasure trove of public emotions.The IPL 2023 report uncovers public opinion and helps create a comprehensive market understanding. Moreover, brands can harness these insights to refine their strategies and develop impactful campaigns that resonate with their target audience.”
