Which Cricketer has More Fans

Virat Kohli, the king of cricket and the Men’s Cricketer of the decade has more fans than any other cricketer in world cricket. Cricket’s craze surpasses well off the field in India, where a cricket star’s personal life and brand endorsements are of equal intrigue to the fans. Kohli is also the only Indian athlete to feature on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes in the world, which also has the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and many more.

Hence, it is no surprise that Virat Kohli boasts a massive 265 million Instagram followers as the former Indian captain is the most-followed Asian on the social media platform.

While a cricketer’s popularity could only be adjudged by their mentions in the media and newspapers once upon a time, the 21st century has blurred out the parameters completely. While social media has made it difficult to keep one’s life personal in today’s age and day, the upside is the massive following a sports star enjoys. Having a large fanbase means multiple endorsements from across the globe, which wasn’t the case before.

Hence, the below list doesn’t only name cricketers with most fans but also some of the richest cricket players to ever play the game.

Virat Kohli

The best batsman to have come in the last decade, Virat Kohli, the most famous cricket player in India, enjoys a fan following unrivalled by any other sportsperson, celebrity, or politician in Asia. The highest run-scorer in the recently-concluded 2023 World Cup, Kohli has been a fan favourite since India’s 2011 World Cup victory.

The four-time Cricketer of the Year awardee’s aggression on the field has defined an entire generation of aspiring cricketers and his popularity speaks for itself. His marriage with filmstar Anushka Sharma further elevated his popularity in the country. Kohli owns brands like Wrogn and one8. He is also an angel investor in numerous companies. Apart from his massive followers on Instagram, Kohli has 59.6 followers on X (Twitter) and 51 million on Facebook.

MS Dhoni

The only Indian captain to win all ICC titles, MS Dhoni was the superstar whom Kohli succeeded. An extraordinary wicketkeeper whose explosive batting made the role of finisher a trend in world cricket, Dhoni is still the favourite cricketer in the country four years after his retirement. He enjoys an Instagram following of 46.6 million and his annual appearance with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League goes a long way to boost it.

A five-time IPL winner has earned Dhoni millions of fans, who love him almost criminally. He has a mid-range hotel in Ranchi, a gym chain across 200 cities,  a sports and apparel company, as well as a global school.
 

Sachin Tendulkar

The original cricketing superstar of India, and the world as well, Sachin Tendulkar has the third most number of fans among all cricketers even today, 10 years after his retirement. Known as the Little Master, the Master Blaster, the god of cricket and by many more labels, Tendulkar has 33.9 million followers on Instagram.

This is quite an achievement as the other names on the list are still playing, either internationally or in the IPL, or both. Apart from owning businesses, Tendulkar is also an investor in companies and leagues like International Tennis Premier League, Spinny, Indian Super League and many more.

Rohit Sharma

An entertaining batsman whose effortless willow-wielding has gotten the world at his feet, India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma is one of the most popular names in world cricket. Though he hasn’t won any major ICC trophy as the leader, he has won the Indian Premier League a whopping six times with two different teams. His unbelievable feats of double centuries in ODIs also make him a rare record holder in international cricket.

Popularly known as the “Hitman”, Rohit Sharma has also hit the most number of sixes in international cricket, which makes him a fan favourite around the world. Apart from being the brand ambassador of Adidas, Sharma has investments in companies like Rapidobotics and Veiroots Wellness Solutions.

Hardik Pandya

One of the most rapidly rising cricketing stars in the world, Hardik Pandya has been a breath of fresh air for Indian cricket at a time when they were struggling to find a seam-bowling all-rounder. Bursting into the scene with Mumbai Indians with some explosive innings down the batting order, he was an instant hit in India thus becoming a household name.

Apart from winning four IPL titles with MI, Pandya went on to lead Gujarat Giants to their maiden IPL trophy in the very first season thus making him a potential candidate for the captaincy. Apart from his pyrotechnics down the batting order, Pandya’s controversial episode on a talk show also piqued interest among the public about his private life.

Consequently, Pandya sits at number five on the list with an Instagram following of 28.8 million. Apart from co-owning event-based company EventViva, Pandya has also invested in companies like Aretto, LenDenClub and Yu Foodlabs.