Influencer marketing in IPL 2026 to touch ₹700 crore
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to witness a major surge in influencer marketing, with brands increasingly relying on creators to connect with audiences during the tournament. A recent report by creator intelligence platform Qoruz has predicted that influencer-led campaigns during IPL will touch nearly ₹700 crore by 2026. This marks a significant jump from around ₹250 crore in 2023 and an estimated ₹550 crore in 2025.
Budget shift
Brands shifting digital ad spends toward creator-led content
The report highlights a major shift as brands are increasingly allocating their digital advertising budgets toward creator-led content. Out of the IPL digital ad spends, which are projected to rise to ₹3,800-4,400 crore in 2026, influencer marketing is estimated to account for 16-18% of the total. This change indicates a growing trend of brands investing more in influencer marketing during major events like IPL.
Growth drivers
Creator participation and audience interaction surge
A major factor driving this growth is the sharp increase in creator participation during the IPL season. The number of creators posting IPL-related content has nearly doubled from around 640,000 in 2023 to an estimated 1.2 million by 2025. This expansion has drastically changed how IPL content is created and consumed, with audience interaction skyrocketing across social platforms from 1.4 billion interactions in 2023 to a projected 2.6 billion by 2025.
Strategy diversification
Brands diversifying influencer marketing strategies
Brands are also diversifying their influencer marketing strategies, spreading campaigns across different creator tiers for maximum reach and engagement. As of now, brands spend 32% of their influencer marketing budgets on A-list creators, while mega creators receive around 25%. Macro creators account for roughly 18% of brand budgets, micro creators get about 15%, and nano creators make up the remaining 10% share of brand spending and engagement.
Brand participation
FMCG brands lead the pack
FMCG brands account for the largest share at 32% of influencer collaborations during the IPL, followed by e-commerce & retail (17%), Entertainment & OTT (16%), consumer tech & telecom (15%), and fintech (10%). Instagram dominates IPL influencer activity with about 52% of content, followed by YouTube (28%), X (12%), and Facebook (8%). This diversity reflects how IPL conversations now extend beyond live match viewing into pre- and post-match discussions, memes, analysis, and fan reactions.