Shubman Gill, the opening batsman for Gujarat Titans, has emerged as the Most Liked player in IPL 2023, according to Hansa Research’s IPLomania report. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the various brands advertised and sponsored during this season of IPL. Shubman Gill topped the Emerging Cricketers Likeability list with 27% of respondents choosing him as their favourite player. Matheesha Pathirana of Chennai Super Kings, Rinku Singh of Kolkata Knight Riders, and Yashasvi Jaiswal of Rajasthan Royals followed next in the list.
Factors such as consistency in performance, entertainment quotient, and risk-taking ability contributed to the players’ likeability. While Shubman Gill’s consistency was appreciated by 60% of respondents, 51% felt that Rinku Singh’s self-belief and risk-taking instincts made him an exciting player to watch. In contrast, 52% of respondents felt that Matheesha Pathirana came through when his team needed him.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued to hold the top spot in the ‘Favourite Players’ ranking, followed by Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya. Shubman Gill significantly rose in the rankings, from 69th in 2022 to the 5th spot in 2023. Another significant growth was witnessed in Surya Kumar Yadav, who jumped from the 12th spot to the 6th spot in the Most Favourite Player ranking.
In addition to the player rankings, the IPLomania report highlighted the growing brand recall value of various brands using advertisements and marketing efforts. Dream11 emerged as the Most Recalled Brand, followed by Tata Neu, My11Circle, and Airtel 5G. The report also revealed that dual viewership (TV + OTT) continued to dominate IPL viewership, with 56% of respondents watching the tournament on both TV and digital platforms.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also known as Captain Cool, was crowned as the Most Favourite Captain of IPL 2023, followed by Rohit Sharma of Mumbai Indians and Hardik Pandya of Gujarat Titans. Chennai Super Kings emerged as the team with maximum fan support, with 29% of IPL viewers supporting them as compared to 16% in 2022.
The IPLomania report is a valuable tool for understanding the impact of IPL on viewers and the importance of sports marketing. It provides insights into the popularity and loyalty of players, teams and brands among the viewers. Dream11’s innovative and interesting ads featuring Bollywood celebrities and ace cricketers caught the viewers’ attention, leading to high levels of ad-recall during IPL 2023. Overall, IPL 2023 lived up to the expectations and provided a high-spirited blend of performances, entertainment, and engagement.
