RCB’s brand value set to cross $140M after IPL win: Qoruz

After years of near-misses and meme-fueled heartbreak, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s long-awaited IPL title win may now trigger a business milestone as well. According to the latest analysis by influencer marketing intelligence platform Qoruz, RCB’s brand value is projected to soar past $140 million, positioning it to become the most valuable IPL franchise in 2025.

In 2024, RCB ranked third on the brand value leaderboard with $117 million, behind CSK ($122M) and MI ($119M). But that was without a title in hand. Now, backed by a trophy, a projected 20% YoY brand value increase, and unmatched social media firepower, the team looks poised to overtake its rivals.

According to Qoruz Data, RCB leads IPL teams on Instagram with 21.5 million followers, averaging 4.8 million views per reel and over 385,000 likes per post. The team has an engagement rate of 5.80%, making it one of the most followed and engaged-with sports brands in India.

On YouTube, RCB has over 5.3 million subscribers and more than 4,000 videos, including behind-the-scenes content, player features, and fan videos. The channel averages 180,500 views per video, supporting consistent fan engagement beyond matches.

According to Qoruz’s data till June 3, 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru led the IPL social media buzz with 74.6K mentions by influencers across Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube, far ahead of Mumbai Indians (22.3K) and Chennai Super Kings (19.2K). RCB also recorded a massive 16.2% engagement rate, the highest among all teams. With the IPL final just concluded yesterday, this momentum is expected to surge even further in the coming days.

On the player front, Virat Kohli is dominating the conversation with 62.6K influencer mentions so far, followed by Shreyas Iyer (18.5K) and MS Dhoni (13.4K), reflecting the massive cultural weight Kohli brings to the RCB brand.

In the 48 hours before the final, Qoruz recorded a sharp spike in creator-led content using RCB-related hashtags. Viral posts came not only from fan pages and cricket creators but also from meme pages and mainstream influencers. Qoruz’s virality index shows RCB topped influencer mentions across all teams during the playoff stage.

Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, co-founder and CEO, Qoruz, "After 18 seasons, RCB has finally done it. They’ve won the IPL, at last. And watching Kohli, teary-eyed in the final overs, was emotional, not just for fans, but for anyone who’s followed this team’s journey. But here’s what people often miss. RCB has been winning off the field for years now. They figured out early that they’re not just a cricket team. They’re a brand. A lifestyle. While most teams show up for two months and then disappear, RCB stayed in the spotlight year-round. The Puma jersey collab made their merch aspirational. The RCB Bar & Cafe gave fans a place to belong. They launched the RCB Innovation Lab to push India’s sports tech narrative. And even something like Hustle by RCB, their fitness content initiative, shows how deeply they understand community and consistency. "

Aditya Gurwara, co-founder and head of brand alliances, Qoruz, "What sets RCB apart isn’t just the loyalty of their fans. It’s how that loyalty plays out on social media. And now, here they are. Already the most followed IPL team. After this win, the internet is exploding. We could see the spike in creator content, fan edits, viral memes and all of it organic, all of it emotional. What’s interesting is how RCB turned moments into movements. The Danish Sait videos didn’t just make us laugh, they made players like Virat and AB feel real and human. So yes, the trophy is huge. But RCB was already playing a different game on social media. One that blends culture, content, and community. And now with this win, it’s all coming full circle."