65% IPL enthusiasts recall campaigns backed by influencers: Study

With influencer-led campaigns being on top of the game, an overwhelming 65% of respondents recalled coming across campaigns backed by influencers during the IPL season. This was revealed in a survey conducted by iCubesWire in the lead-up to this year’s IPL season. Capturing the opinions of 5,042 IPL enthusiasts aged between 18 and 45, the survey aims to decipher what drives recall, trust, engagement and purchasing decisions that follow during the most-watched cricketing event in India.

Among media options, YouTube leads the visibility game. 50% of respondents said they consume IPL-related influencer content on YouTube, followed by X (32%) and Instagram (12%). This underlines a strong preference for visual and long-form storytelling during the IPL season. For marketers, it is clear as day why they should not shy away from using YouTube.

The 38% of respondents contacted said that entertainment influencers captured their attention the most during IPL promotions. Interestingly, they even beat out sports influencers (25%) and cricketers (18%). This suggests that personality-driven, relatable content from entertainers has an edge over celeb appeal.

Nearly 51% of respondents said they find behind-the-scenes cricket content the most enjoyable, followed by funny memes or reels (25%) and in-match product placements (19%). This suggests a growing appetite among consumers for authenticity and storytelling over hardcore sales pitches. Fans want exclusive content and not plain and simple ads. For brands, the task is to create narrative-rich, exclusive-feeling content, according to the report.

As large as 59% of respondents reported having engaged with IPL influencer content while only 9% claimed they never engaged at all. This clearly shows that the majority of viewers are interactive with influencer-created posts at some level, suggesting that these campaigns are not just being seen but also being talked about.
Nearly 35% of respondents said that they trusted IPL influencer promotions more when there was a long-term association with the brand. While for 31% the driver was creative content, for 27% it was the influencers’ genuine love for the team. Going further, about 14% of respondents said they had made a purchase because of the IPL influencer campaign.

The study points out that in a cluttered media environment, where CTR and conversion rates are often found in single digits, this level of direct influence builds a strong case for creator credibility. The trust, it observes, is not built merely through charming faces but through sustained storytelling, indicating that brands must invest in long-term creator relationships to go beyond the surface.

Sahil Chopra, founder and CEO, iCubesWire, said, “We should not look at IPL as just a TVC face-off. It is much more segregated. It is a multi-device, multi-channel influencer-driven festival of consumer engagement. Data shows us that brands investing in creators are seeing higher ROI than a traditional ad-only strategy.”