Virat Kohli Surpasses MS Dhoni As Indian Premier League 2025’s Most Popular Player: Report

Few players have embodied the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as Virat Kohli, and in the early days of IPL 2025, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper has cemented himself as the league’s most popular player. (Points Table | Full Coverage)

In a recent study on fans’ behaviour by Kadence International and Crisp Insights, Kohli has overtaken long-time favourite MS Dhoni of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in fan rankings.

The Edart IPL Brand Impact study showed that while 77% of the 20,000 surveyed respondents did not have any specific favourite team, an overwhelming 95% of them had a preference for a particular player, with Virat leading the pack.

The RCB batter’s popularity has shown no signs of reducing even as he reached 36 years of age. Kohli’s impact in the 18 seasons of IPL is beyond dispute, so much so that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner Shah Rukh Khan called him the “GOAT (Greatest of all time) of IPL” in the opening ceremony this year.

His connection with the fans has been a massive boost to RCB’s profile as well. Despite being one of just two teams yet to win an IPL trophy, the Royal Challengers boast one of the largest fanbases in the country – mostly due to the charismatic pull of Virat Kohli.

In fact, Kohli’s influence is so huge that 51% of RCB fans credited their team allegiance due to his presence, as per a report by Rediffusion.

Virat Kohli’s IPL 2025 Campaign So Far

A huge part of Virat Kohli’s IPL legacy and fan following is due to his consistent performances for his franchise. Even in IPL season 18, Kohli has been on fire for the Bengaluru team, scoring 97 runs in three games so far.

His best performance came in the opening match against KKR at Eden Gardens, scoring an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls. He then followed it up with a 31-run knock in the win against CSK, and was seen hugging MS Dhoni after the match in one of IPL 2025’s iconic moments.

Kohli, like the entire RCB team, disappointed against Gujarat Titans (GT) on 2 April, with the batter getting dismissed at just seven runs. However, his team is currently third on the table, and fans will hope that ‘King’ Kohli – now officially the player with the highest following in the league – gets to mount a challenge for his maiden IPL trophy.