IPL 2025: Inside Rajasthan Royals’ strategy to supercharge engagement with AI

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is no longer just a cricket tournament or an entertainment and marketing powerhouse. Over the years, it has given rise to several fully-fledged sports brands (popularly known as IPL teams) that operate like media companies, tech startups and lifestyle businesses all rolled into one. One such team is the Rajasthan Royals, with a brand value of $81 million, according to industry reports.

Rajasthan Royals is a dynamic brand that seamlessly integrates sports, technology and entertainment to create immersive fan experiences. As IPL 2025 unfolds, with the battle for online reach and engagement as intense as the on-field competition, the team is embracing an AI-first approach to deepen its connection with fans this season.

“The real game-changer for us in IPL 2025 is the integration of advanced AI, combined with a sharp focus on user-generated content and our pre-empt – create – elevate framework,” says Dwijendra Parashar, Head of Marketing, Rajasthan Royals. 

The framework allows the team to create hyper-personalised experiences and interactive campaigns that make every fan feel seen and heard. He explains that AI is the engine that powers how the team creates, distributes and optimises content across the media ecosystem. The team spends significantly on emerging technologies, especially AI, to enhance campaign efficiency, content creation and fan engagement. 

The team has also started focusing on AEO (AI Engine Optimization) alongside traditional SEO because, as Parashar puts it, discoverability in the age of AI requires a new playbook.

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He further lists how the team leverages AI to innovate: “While our storytelling remains proudly human-led, AI supercharges our ability to execute at speed and scale. This blend of creativity and technology has enabled us to launch innovative initiatives like the Royals AI bot on Instagram, AI-generated animated content, and personalised fan videos — each designed to deepen interactivity and strengthen fan loyalty.”

Beyond engaging fans, maintaining a strong digital presence is essential for the Rajasthan Royals to deliver tangible value to their sponsors. To measure the performance and impact of their content accurately, the team focuses on three key metrics: engagement rate on social media, total video views, and follower growth. 

“These aren’t just vanity numbers for us — they reflect how deeply our content resonates with fans. Across each metric, we consistently rank among the top 2-3 teams in the league,” he says, adding that it’s not just about reach but relevance, emotion and engagement.

With brands investing big monies for visibility, the team’s ability to innovate across digital platforms plays a key role in sponsor engagement and retention. Stating that striking the right balance between sponsored content and organic fan engagement is a challenge every organisation faces, Parashar shares, “Our approach is to infuse the same creativity, authenticity, and RR-style storytelling into our sponsored content as we do in our organic pieces.”

He adds that this approach enables the team to create content and campaigns that fans genuinely enjoy while also driving strong engagement and reach.

For IPL 2025, Luminous Power Technologies has partnered with Rajasthan Royals as the Title Sponsor, with NEOM, Jio, Red Bull and BKT as Principal Sponsors. UBON, JSW Paints and Goel TMT have signed on as Associate Sponsors. The team regularly collaborates with its sponsor brands to create engaging content featuring key players. 

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Elaborating on the team’s strategic approach to fan engagement and brand partnerships, he explains how Rajasthan Royals has built a seamless marketing funnel that maximises reach, interaction, and conversion. “Traditional media channels help us broaden reach at the top of the funnel. The mid-funnel is powered by immersive engagement on our social media platforms and experiential on-ground fan activations. Finally, conversion is driven through our owned and partner platforms for ticketing, merchandise, or exclusive content access,” he explains. 

The team collaborates with Meta and YouTube to drive its digital engagement, with JioStar and FanCode for streaming and Entertainment Network India Limited (Mirchi and Gaana) for radio amplification. “These alliances help us create a seamless, multi-platform fan experience that brings the Royals closer to their supporters — wherever they are,” Parashar says, highlighting the importance of leveraging the entire media ecosystem as a strategic approach.

Parashar believes that impactful storytelling doesn’t depend on the duration of the content. “Our team takes a lot of pride in crafting impactful narratives both in 30 seconds and across 20 mins,” he explains, adding that while platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are central to the team’s digital strategy, they focus on creating content that resonates.