New Delhi, 22 May 2023: iCubesWire, a leading ad-tech digital marketing platform, took a deep dive into the Twitterverse to create a comprehensive sentiment analysis study on the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The studyclosely monitored IPL-related conversations on Twitter, offeringinsights intothe intriguing patterns in public opinion around players, teams, captains, controversies and brands.
The studyis based onvarious data points, including the total number of mentions and the breakdown of neutral, positive, and negative sentiments for different categories. As a result, thereport’s key results provide actionable insights for industry professionals.
- Virat Kohliremained the undisputed king of Twitter buzz. However, the sentiment analysis also hinted at a love-hate relationship, with a considerable share of negative sentiment at 14.65% – indicating the polarized nature of the users on the platform.
- SuryaKumar Yadav,with 45.3% positive sentiments,was not far too behind and was among the crowd’s favourites. However, the difference between the reach is considerable, with 71.89% less reach than Virat’s.Shubman Gill,despite having approximately 86% less reach than Virat,stood out among batsmen along with Faf du Plessis, garnering positive sentiments reflecting their favourable public image.
- On the other side of the pitch, bowler Mohit Sharma became the most talked about bowler during the IPL 2023. Rashid Khan bagged the second favourite spot with 23.24% less reach than Mohit Sharma. At 66.06%less reach than Rashid, Mohammed Shami secured the third highest reach. Interestingly, Shami sparked considerable debate with 69.9%of the sentiments being negative.
- In the captain’s corner, MS Dhoniremained the favourite captain with the highest share of positive sentiments at 38.2%.Rohit Sharma stood the ground as the second favourite captain with almost 58.48%less reach than that of Ms Dhoni. Followed by Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul and Faf du Plessiswith a significant difference of 81%less reach than Dhoni.
- In addition, KL Rahul’s captaincy received the largest share of negative sentiments among the captains at 27.4%.
- The Royal Challengers Bangalore Captain Faf du Plessis enjoyed the most favourable reach, with 33% positive sentiments, emphasizing his popularity despite seeing less overall reach.
- When it comes to team dynamics and fan base engagement, the teams with the most conversations-starting fan bases included Royal Challengers Bangalore, with 33.7% more reach than Mumbai Indians, the second favourite team in the line-up. Yet, the Chennai Super Kings is not far behind, with a reach that’s only 4% less than that of Mumbai Indians. However, it’s noteworthy that Gujarat Titans, currently leading the scoreboard has 82.63% less reach than that of Royal Challengers Bangalore, that is a testament to the huge fan base of the team. Lastly, the Lucknow Super Giantshold the least reach among the top 5 teams.
Keeping the positive sentiment around players like Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis in mind, brands can potentially tap into their popularity to push their campaigns significantly. Similarly, associations with teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, which are leading the show on Twitter, could boost brand visibility.
Commenting on the survey, Sahil Chopra, Founder & CEO, iCubesWire, says, “Cricket is not just a sport but an emotion in India, and IPL, a treasure trove of public emotions.The IPL 2023 report uncovers public opinion and helps create a comprehensive market understanding.Moreover, Brands can harness these insights to refine their strategies and develop impactful campaigns that resonate with their target audience.“
“Brands want to make the most of special events like IPL, and hence understanding their impact is important. Our survey serves as a compass, guiding brands towards effective strategies that engage audiences and foster positive brand sentiment. We’re proud to pioneer this deep-dive analysis, creating valuable data-centric insights for the industry,” Chopra added.
- IPL 2023 also became the home ground for controversies, and some of these off-field controversies spilled over into Twitter. Among the top two controversies during IPL 2023, the conflict between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir grabbed the most attention with a striking322.65% more reach than between Nitish Rana and Hrithik Shokeen. This indicates the effect of prominent player rivalries on audience engagement and how controversies can become effective instruments for high brand visibility.
- When it comes to conflicts, there’s always an invisible tug of war among brands. Nevertheless, Dream 11 took the lead in the brand world with only 1.5% negative sentiments – a dream come true for any brand. Next in the line-up is TATA, with 53.27% less reach than Dream 11. Jio closely follows TATAwith 33.04%less reach.In addition, the food delivery giants also joined the Twitter chatter, Zomato had the highest negative sentiments, with 95.4% less reach than Dream 11. Swiggyhad the last spot in terms of overall engagement and reach but maintained the highest share of positive sentiment at 57.6%.
We live in a world where consumer sentiment drives marketing strategies. The findings of this report can give brands insight into their collaborative marketing initiatives. Brands integrating insights into their marketing strategy can direct their marketing efforts effectively to engage more IPL fans.
