How 6 top Indian cricketers’ popularity grew on social media in 2024

In 2024, the betting company 1xBet watched with interest the cricketers who showed themselves most brightly in the current season and noted certain patterns in their popularity changes on social media. It is no secret that the athletes’ successful play during major tournaments, including the IPL and international competitions, affects the number of subscribers. Let's consider this pattern using Instagram as an example, based on the followers' growth from the beginning of the year to mid-October 2024.

1. Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar)

Let's start our analysis with Surya Kumar Yadav, one of the most popular Indian cricketers. By the beginning of 2024, the player had 12,536,135 followers on Instagram, and by mid-October, 16,752,410. In less than a year, the athlete has gained 4.22 million new fans, and the relative audience growth exceeded 25%!

More than half (2.3 million) of this number subscribed by April 14, even before the active playing season started. The explanation is simple - at the beginning of the year, Surya Kumar Yadav received the prestigious ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award for the second time in a row.

It should be noted that injuries and several unsuccessful games did not lead to the subscribers’ outflow. Nor has the player's popularity been affected by not being included in India's ODI squad.

However, winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, where Surya Kumar Yadav made one of the best catches in cricket history, significantly increased his recognition. Videos of this moment are going viral on the Internet, and as a result, from June 29 to July 16 alone, 1 million followers subscribed to his page!

However, after the final, Pakistani cricket fans began to accuse Surya Kumar Yadav of cheating – the player allegedly touched the boundary while fielding the ball. The Indians immediately stood up for their favorite, and as a result, the scandal led to an additional increase in the audience. It proves that active supporters become the athlete’s advocates and can effectively protect him from negativity.

2. Shubmaan Gill (@shubmangill)

The player started the year with 12,153,252 followers on Instagram, growing rapidly since his appointment as the Gujarat Titans captain. The cricketer had some impressive performances at the start of the season and set two records.

Thus, in the game against Punjab Kings, Shubmaan Gill shows the best individual score in the IPL 2024 - 89 runs. Then, in a match with Rajasthan Royals, he achieves 4,000 runs in T20 at the age of 24 years and 215 days, breaking the previous record of legendary Virat Kohli (26 years and 186 days).

On August 26, Shubmaan Gill crossed the 15 million subscriber mark for the first time. This event directly relates to a deepfake video of India captain Virat Kohli criticizing Shubmaan Gill. The story was heavily featured in the news, so instead of negativity, the athlete received new followers. However, as soon as the hype around the event died down, some newcomers unsubscribed, and their number dropped below 15 million again.

A successful performance at the September India vs Bangladesh 2nd Test tournament and praise from experts Aakash Chopra and Ashwin added to the player's fame. As a result, the audience exceeded the 15 million mark for the second time. By the end of less than a year, Shubmaan Gill received 2.84 million new followers, and the relative growth was 18.9%.

3. Rishabh Pant (@rishabpant)

At the start of 2024, Rishabh Pant had 9,869,537 followers on Instagram. In February, the athlete gave a long interview about the serious accident that the Delhi Capitals captain and India goalkeeper got into in December 2022.

Then, he miraculously escaped from a car engulfed in flames and destroyed. Due to severe injuries, his sports career was in great doubt. In a candid interview, Rishabh Pant spoke about his recovery and announced his imminent return. The interested audience responded with a flood of new subscribers and overcoming the 10 million mark.

Starved of playing after a year of inactivity, Rishabh Pant has performed well in almost every game that season, delighting his existing fans and attracting new ones. There have been some infractions, too – first, he was fined for violating the IPL Code of Conduct in the clash with Chennai Super Kings, then suspended for one match for another breach of the code in a game against Rajasthan Royals. As a result, Rishabh Pant missed the all-important struggle with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

These and other scandals did not cause a noticeable fan outflow, but the winning ball in India vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test allowed to attract 60,000 new subscribers in just one day on September 27! As of October 16, Rishabh Pant has had 3.87 million new fans since the beginning of the year, or 28.2% in relative terms, which is excellent for a player with a year-long break in his career.

4. Ishan Kishan (@ishankishan23)

At the beginning of 2024, Ishan Kishan had 5,970,662 followers on Instagram, and by mid-October - 7,297,924. By the end of 2024, the player attracted 1.33 million new fans (+18%), although in 2023, the increase was 4 million subscribers.

The decline in interest is due to the player's sudden unplanned vacation. First, Ishan Kishan refused to participate in the Afghanistan tour of India T20I Series. Then he left the Indian national team's tour of South Africa, explaining his actions by psychological fatigue and a desire to take a break from the game. As a result, he was excluded from the BCCI contract list, which automatically removed the athlete from the candidates for international selection.

Ishan Kishan has been playing for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024 with varying success, where he received a fine for violating the IPL Code of Conduct in the match against Delhi Capitals. Fan discontent is growing, and even good performances in the Buchi Babu Trophy, Duleep Trophy 2024, and Ranji Trophy tournaments have not helped the player regain his audience. In late summer and early autumn, disappointed with his actions, the audience even dropped from 7.4 to less than 7.3 million subscribers.

5. Ruturaj Gaikwad (@ruutu.131)

At the start of 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad had 3,312,381 followers on Instagram. In March, the player replaced the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the captain of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, which led to explosive audience growth.

Over the next four months, the cricketer's followers increased by 1.3 million (+28.5%), exceeding the 4.6 million mark. A confident start to the IPL season and excellent performances for the Indian team during the Zimbabwe vs India T20I tour allowed Ruturaj Gaikwad to retain his core audience.

Devoted fans fiercely criticize the coaches if Ruturaj Gaikwad is not included in the Indian squad for the T20I World Cup, as well as tours against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Each time, this avalanche of criticism results in the subscribers' growth.

6. Yashasvi Jaiswal (@yashasvijaiswal28)

Young 22-year-old player Yashasvi Jaiswal is just starting his career but shows the fastest audience increase. If, at the beginning of 2024, he had only 2,325,991 followers on Instagram, then by mid-October, he can already boast more than 4 million (+42%)!

Yashasvi Jaiswal plays for Rajasthan Royals in IPL and India, showing some stunning performances. In Zimbabwe vs India T20I, he set a new world record by scoring 13 runs off the first ball. And during India vs Bangladesh Test, Yashasvi Jaiswal became the first batsman in Test history to score more than 750 runs in the first 10 home innings.

Several respected experts and star cricketers have showered young Yashasvi Jaiswal with compliments, comparing him to Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma and predicting his great future. With such a brilliant game, 4 million subscribers is the beginning of Yashasvi Jaiswal's journey, and he may well cross the 10 million mark in the next few years.

Conclusions

The IPL matches and international tournaments’ highlights create hype on social media, which leads to a significant increase in followers. Media influence is also crucial, including interviews and big news. Even negative but interesting events can attract a new audience, as with Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill. Ultimately, the biggest increase in popularity happens due to their sporting achievements and the correct use of their personal brand. That is why 1xBet recommends that young players be active on the Internet at the beginning of their careers - it helps win new fans and increases media appeal.

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