The 2026 season has witnessed immense digital engagement, with high-scoring games contributing to record-breaking concurrent viewers on Jio Hotstar, which reported a combined reach of over 1.1 billion across digital and linear TV. According to recent data cited by franchise chief executive officer Rajesh Menon, who told Economic Times, "Only 12 matches crossed around 300 million-plus viewers, and RCB played in seven of them. Only four matches crossed 400 million viewers, and RCB played in all four. 14-15% of total viewership came from RCB." 

The IPL 2026 season on JioHotstar (JioStar) has seen record-breaking viewership, with multiple matches exceeding 400 million viewers, largely driven by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) matches. The opener, RCB vs SRH, drew over 430 million, with other high-viewership matches including RCB vs RR, reflecting massive engagement for Virat Kohli and RCB.

A massive portion of the RCB fanbase is devoted to legends who played for the team, specifically Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. RCB has not only dominated IPL in 2025 and 2026, winning back-to-back trophies, but also attracted a huge percentage of the league’s viewership.

'Bright future for IPL and WPL': Rajesh Menon about the future of Indian leagues

IPL has been popular amongst the local crowd and the global crowd since its inception in 2008. Ever since, the league has only grown rapidly in terms of viewership and branding and getting recognition as a top league worldwide with iconic performances and pomp and show. According to broadcaster JioStar, IPL 2026 continued its remarkable growth, reaching a combined audience of 1.1 billion viewers with 15% digital reach increase.

Rajesh Menon was vocal and confident about the fact that in the upcoming years, both IPL and WPL will grow by 40-50%, with Women’s Premier League becoming bigger and better in all domains. He also pointed out that IPL investors should invest money in other gaming and sports in India, helping to grow India’s sporting ecosystem exponentially.