The early days of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 have delivered it all 바카라“ big scores, centuries, four-wicket spells, and even an ambidextrous bowler! Amidst the fireworks, IPL 18 has also crowned a new fan-favourite team, and it바카라™s none other than defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). (Points Table | Full Coverage)
As per the inaugural report by the Edart IPL Brand Impact study conducted by Kadence International and Crisp Insights, the Knight Riders have overtaken Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as the team with the largest fanbase in IPL.
The study was conducted by surveying responses from approximately 20,000 people from 13 cities across the country.
CSK have historically been the most supported franchise in the league for some time, with a substantial 32% of fans expressing a preference for the Yellow Army.
The widespread support can be attributed to two things 바카라“ their five IPL titles, and 바카라˜Thala바카라™ MS Dhoni바카라™s popularity. The Super Kings바카라™ popularity goes even beyond Chennai바카라™s borders, with a huge number of fans in places like Delhi and Lucknow.
Kolkata Knight Riders Become New Kings In IPL
In the initial week of the new season, the Edart study has found a remarkable surge in KKR바카라™s popularity. This is mainly due to the team바카라™s IPL-winning performance in 2024, which made them a force to be reckoned with across the country.
The defending champions have also been in decent form in 2025, winning two of their four games so far.
Unlike teams such as CSK and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, KKR바카라™s popularity is despite the lack of regional affiliations or any iconic players like RCB바카라™s Virat Kohli.
However, it is still the beginning of the new season, and Ajinkya Rahane바카라™s men will face an uphill task in keeping up their franchise바카라™s popularity ahead of more established names like CSK, RCB, and Mumbai Indians (MI).
Other teams boast players who are essentially poster boys for their club, and such association is key in securing fan support. Edart바카라™s study showed that 95% of fans had a favourite player, and such player affiliations influenced which team they supported.
More than three-fourths of the respondents did not have a specific team in mind when asked about their favourite team, and IPL바카라™s fluid nature shows that fans can cheer for whoever is on the ascendancy at the moment.
What remains to be seen, however, is whether the Knight Riders can keep up the form that led to them being crowned IPL 2024 champions and repay the loyalty of their record fanbase.
