IPL teams that have the smallest fan base
Overview:
The Indian Premier League is a testament to the unparalleled passion and devotion we Indians have for the colonial game of cricket. IPL is not just any other sporting event but a festival that brings a wave of jubilation and excitement that runs across the length and breadth of our country. Super overs, cliffhangers, nail-biting last overs, players fighting it out on the field- you name it and we have it.
But over and above all these electrifying moments that the IPL has successfully produced over its last 16 editions the most significant aspect contributing to the success of the tournament is the anchoring role played by the fans who have come into the stadiums in large numbers, gathered around their TV sets, and stood behind their respective teams through thick and thin as their twelfth man.
While most of the teams in the tournament have been able to cement a pretty solid fan base, there are still a few teams that have not lived up to the expectations of their franchise and hence have not been successful in building their unique brand identity.
IPL teams that have the smallest fan base:
1.Lucknow Super Giants:
Founded in 2021, LSG is one of the two latest teams that have been added to IPL. The team has already featured in two editions of the tournament and has done significantly impressive performance by qualifying for the playoffs on both occasions.
However the team led by KL Rahul has not been able to amass either an on-ground strong fan following or a robust social media following off it. The team has a meagre 790K followers on Facebook and marginally better Instagram following of 2.9M followers.
Facebook followers- 790 K https://www.facebook.com/LucknowSuperGiantsIPLT20
Instagram followers-2.9 M https://www.instagram.com/lucknowsupergiants/
2.Rajasthan Royals:
First-ever champions of the tournament have found it difficult to get going ever since their triumphant campaign in the first edition of the league back in 2008. The team has failed to live up to the expectations of their fans and has suffered some major jolts in the form of controversies pertaining to match fixing scandal and even been subjected to a two year ban owing to the same.
The social media following of the franchise is not what one would expect the maiden champions of the world’s biggest cricket league to have.
Facebook followers- 5.1 M https://www.facebook.com/RajasthanRoyals
Instagram followers-3.4 M https://www.instagram.com/rajasthanroyals/
3.Sunrisers Hyderabad:
Champions of 2016, the Sunrisers from Hyderabad have been long projected as the most unpredictable team of the league, the reason being that despite being a team that does not look formidable to their opponents(at least on paper) they somehow manage to get past the finish line on crucial occasions.
However the team hasn’t had enough luck in creating a strong brand identity or a popular social media fan following around the team’s name. Sure, the team used to be high on the IPL trending list when David Warner was a part of squad however, with his departure to Delhi Capitals a major chunk of the franchise’s fans have parted ways with SRH.
Facebook followers- 6.2 M https://www.facebook.com/sunrisershyderabad
Instagram followers- 3.3 M https://www.instagram.com/sunrisershyd/
4.Punjab Kings:
The team that hails from the northern part of the country has found it difficult to make it to the north of the points table on multiple occasions and has often suffered to qualify for the playoffs.
Punjab Kings has a very passionate fanbase who come and support their team with all their heart however the team has always disappointed the fans performance wise over the past years which has resulted the team in not getting as much social media traction as it would have expected. The franchise has a measly 3M followers on Instagram.
Facebook followers- 8.8M https://www.facebook.com/PunjabKingsIPL
Instagram followers- 3 M https://www.instagram.com/punjabkingsipl/
The social media following of various teams as provided above on Facebook and Instagram are updated and latest as on 07/03/2024.
So this is the complete list of- IPL teams that have the smallest fan base.
Here is a link to an intriguing tale from IPL 2024: https://cricwallah.com/this-ipl-team-used-two-impact-players-in-the-same-match/