IPL 2025: Brands set to leverage vernacular & user-generated content 

IPL 2025 is set to kick off this weekend and is expected to set new records in terms of engagement, influencer partnerships, and regional content consumption. 

As mobile, short-form content and influencer-driven strategies dominate the landscape, brands that adopt a smart, data-driven approach will be best positioned to win big in India’s cricket-obsessed market, reveal industry trends.

Latest data shows that 92% of cricket fans now prefer consuming IPL content in their native language, a significant 29% rise from the previous season. Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada (TTMK) users alone accounted for 51% of the total time spent on IPL content. This increasing preference for vernacular content is reshaping how platforms cater to cricket enthusiasts.

According to a social media platform, regional-first digital platforms are reshaping IPL fandom, as millions of users turn to their preferred languages to discuss matches, celebrate victories, and engage with their favorite teams, with over 200 million users engaging and a staggering 4.9 billion+ views during IPL 2024.

Influencer Marketing to Drive ₹550 Cr 

The growing digital fandom is also fuelling the rise of influencer marketing during the IPL season. According to Qoruz, an influencer marketing intelligence platform, brands will pour ₹550 crore into influencer-led campaigns during IPL 2025. 

The biggest spenders are touted to be entertainment and streaming platforms (30%), followed by FMCG (25%), consumer electronics (15%), e-commerce and D2C brands (15%), and the automobile industry (10%).

The platform tracks over 3,000 brands and their influencer campaigns. IPL 2024 alone saw 315,000 influencer posts discussing cricket, generating over 3.2 billion engagements in just three months. 

Swiggy, Zomato, Cricbuzz, and Paytm dominated influencer-driven engagements during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, according to industry reports. JioCinema alone raked in 23.4 million engagements through influencer collaborations, setting the benchmark for IPL digital marketing strategies.

With this momentum, IPL 2025 is set to surpass previous records as brands invest heavily in influencer partnerships.

“Every IPL season, I see two kinds of brands—those that sign massive sponsorship deals and those that strategically carve their own space in the cricket frenzy,” said Aditya Gurwara, Co-Founder and Head of Brand Alliances at Qoruz. 

“You don’t have to be an official IPL partner to win big. If a brand can tap into cricket fans’ passion, create engaging, relatable content, and collaborate with the right influencers, it can achieve incredible visibility.”

Many brands that are not directly associated with IPL still invest heavily in influencer marketing during the season. These brands, spanning industries such as fintech, e-commerce, and lifestyle, tap into the cricket fever through partnerships with sports influencers, meme pages, and content creators.

User-generated content (UGC) has seen a 4X spike during match hours, with fans creating memes, reactions, and analysis videos that contribute to the ever-growing digital cricket discourse.

During IPL 2024, micro-influencers dominated the landscape, accounting for 56.27% of all influencer content. Meanwhile, sports-related content had the highest share of voice at 47.46%, followed by arts & entertainment (23.60%) and meme content (7.27%). This trend is expected to continue in IPL 2025, with brands eager to tap into cricket-driven conversations through strategic influencer partnerships.

Second-Screen Phenomenon 

As IPL engagement grows, second-screen behavior is becoming the norm. A whopping 86% of users consume cricket content on mobile while simultaneously watching matches on TV. Platforms like Glance have capitalized on this trend, reporting that over 120 million users engaged with cricket-related content on smart lock screens during IPL 2024.

According to InMobi, the demand for interactive, one-tap content surged, with users spending 44% more time on cricket-related content, driving 314 billion glances and 433 million taps. Mobile-first engagement has redefined how fans interact with matches, opening new avenues for advertisers looking to leverage high-intent moments.

“The intersection of cricket and digital engagement has never been more powerful,” said Sanjay Trisal, General Manager, INSEA/ANZ, AppsFlyer. “Our findings show a 35% rise in Android app installs and a 28% surge in iOS installs from pre-IPL to peak season in 2024. Brands have a prime opportunity to engage audiences meaningfully at high-intent moments.”

Streaming platforms and sports apps are also witnessing record growth. Data from AppsFlyer indicates that IPL season drives a massive surge in app installs and in-app purchases across OTT, streaming, shopping, food delivery, and gaming categories.

Cricket fans were particularly active, recording 21X higher video ad engagement, 6X higher click-through rates on gaming apps, and a 13X boost in full-screen ad performance.