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Top 13 Most Famous Cricketer in the World - 2025-26 Updated

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Top 13 popular cricketers
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Multiple sports are played around the world, but when it comes to India, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the most popular is Cricket. Whether it’s kids, young people, or old citizens, Cricket runs in everyone’s veins in India. The love for the sport in India is known to everyone, as there are multiple instances where sportspersons from other countries acknowledge the power of Indian Cricket and their fans. Cricket has also produced some great players who have earned a huge fan base across the world. Many players have been loved in other countries apart from their own. It won’t be wrong to say that franchise cricket, especially the Indian Premier League (IPL), has played a huge role in it.

Many players in the world of cricket have a fan following at the next level, where the fans go crazy about the cricketers. In this article, we will find the answer to the question of the most popular cricketer in the world.

How We Ranked the Most Famous Cricketer in the world - Ranking Factor

In the dynamic world of cricket, many cricketers are famous in their country or even around the world. But the list of the most famous cricketer in the world is based on specific and universal factors so that all the famous cricketers are ranked fairly. Here is the list of the factors on which the ranking has been done.

  • Global Fan Following: Global Fan Following is the primary and important factor that helps in understanding the total fan base of the player, which includes the followers of the player on different social media handles like Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). This also involves the player being in trend searches and may have a YouTube presence, which makes the player popular across cricketing and non-cricketing nations.
  • Brand Value & Endorsements: Brand Value of the player tells the whole story of the success of that player, where in the current scenario of cricket, business is seen along with it. The player's brand value has a direct relation to the player's overall fan following. Brand Endorsements are the appearances of the player in global advertisements or campaigns, which help them to gain more fan following with the quality of brand endorsements and eventually increase the brand value in the end.
  • Media Presence & Public Recognition: The player's media presence and public recognition involve how frequently the player has been covered in media coverage, like TV shows or even magazines. This also involves the player featuring in international media and cross-industry collaboration, which are generally done in advertisements or brand endorsements. This helps in gathering more fan following and expanding the fan base of the player.
  • On-Field Achievements: This helps in understanding how well the player has performed in their cricketing career, with impressive stats and an exceptional showcase of cricketing skills. This includes Career stats, records, iconic performances, and how well the player had an impact in World Cups or ICC tournaments that made a name for them in the world of cricket.
  • Cultural & Social Impact: The cultural and social impact of the player involves the role of the players as ambassadors of the sport in representing the sport at the international level and promoting the game. This also includes involvement of the player in a charitable or social cause, which can be in the sporting world or outside. The player has an influential influence on fans and the youth globally about the sport, and even as a person in the real world.

Most Famous Cricketer in the World 2025 - Updated List

Cricket is a global game now, which makes the players some of the most followed people on social media. The rapid increase and growth of social media have also contributed to the cricketers' high fan following across the globe. While India enjoys a huge fan following and growth, it is certain that the list will include most of the Indian players. Let's have a look at the top 13 highest fan following cricketer in world, in which players are ranked based on the above ranking factors.

RankCricketerCountry

Role

Total Followers Instagram FollowersX / Twitter FollowersReason of being Famous
1Virat KohliIndiaBatsman341.8 million274 million67.8 millionPassionate, aggressive, fitness icon, global superstar, Most followed cricketer in history
2Sachin TendulkarIndiaBatsman91.6 million50.8 million40.8 millionHumble nature, "God of Cricket," inspired generations, massive fanbase
3Rohit SharmaIndiaBatsman68.4 million44.2 million24.2 millionAbility to hit big sixes constantly and play match-winning knocks
4MS DhoniIndiaWicketkeeper-Batsman58.4 million49.9 million8.5 million"Captain Cool," clutch performances, leadership, helicopter shot
5Hardik PandyaIndiaAll-Rounder52.3 million41.5 million10.8 millionPlays well under pressure, contributes with both bat and ball, Fashion icon & IPL star
6AB de VilliersSouth AfricaBatsman38.4 million28.6 million9.8 millionGlobal favorite, retired but hugely followed
7KL RahulIndiaWicketkeeper-Batsman31.8 million22.7 million9.1 millionStylish & tech-savvy batter
8Jasprit BumrahIndiaBowler26.5 million20.6 million5.9 millionBest bowler in the world, has a lethal yorker and bowls well under pressure
9Shubman GillIndiaBatsman18.1 million16.3 million1.8 millionYoung fan-favorite and growing fast
10David WarnerAustraliaBatsman13.5 million10.8 million2.7 millionSocial media entertainer & aggressive opener
11Babar AzamPakistanBatsman11.4 million6 million5.4 millionA superstar player in the subcontinent can score runs heavily, Pakistan’s biggest cricket icon
12Ben StokesEnglandAll-Rounder4.3 million2.9 million1.4 millionPerforms well under pressure and contributes in all aspects of the game
13Kane WilliamsonNew ZealandBatsman3.2 million3.2 million-Scores runs consistently in all formats and has a calm nature

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Who is the Most Famous Cricketer in the World?

There are a bunch of players who could be eligible to be on the list of the most famous cricketer in the world, but only a handful of these players have been picked based on the above-mentioned ranking criteria. India, as a nation, has an unreal love towards the game, and that is the reason why some of the Indian players are almost worshipped due to the countless happiness they bring to a massive number of people. Having said that, this is predominantly the reason that this list is also mainly dominated by Indian players. The Top 13 most famous cricketer in the world are as follows:

13. Kane Williamson | New Zealand

Kane Williamson for New Zealand
Kane Williamson for New Zealand (Image credit official X account of BLACKCAPS X/@BLACKCAPS)

The former captain of the New Zealand cricket team, Kane Williamson, is one of the calmest and most innocent players in the game. Fans often love to see the aggressive side of players because of the entertainment factor, but it’s not the same case with every player, and former India skipper MS Dhoni is a prime example of it.

Kane Williamson is also one of those guys who have always remained calm on and off the field. Fans also love his innocence and cool nature, which is one of the reasons behind his fan following around the world. Williamson has more than 3.2M followers on Instagram, but he is not on Twitter

There are rarely any fans in the world who hate Williamson, even though he has played some heartbreaking knocks against some big cricket-playing nations. He led New Zealand to a historic win against India in the WTC final in 2021. However, he has also taken New Zealand to the finals of the ODI World Cup 2019 and T20 World Cup 2021, but faced defeat with a smiling face, which makes him one of the loved cricketers regardless of not having the biggest cricket fan base in the world on social media.

FormatBest Performance
Test251 vs West Indies (Hamilton, 2020)
ODI148 vs West Indies (2019 WC)
T20I95 vs India (Delhi, 2017)
IPL89* vs Delhi Capitals (2017)

12. Ben Stokes | England

Ben Strokes for England
Ben Stokes for England (Image credit official X account of ICC| X/@ICC)

England’s Test captain, Ben Stokes, is an astounding player in the format. Lately, he has been away from cricket due to injuries, but the player was just out of this world with his batting and bowling performance. Undoubtedly, one of the famous cricket players and best all-rounders England has ever had in their history. He has played in 268 international games and scored 10776 runs at an average of 32.76. Well, this isn’t it. He has also taken 313 wickets at an average of 35.82.

Stokes has played many match-winning knocks for the England cricket team, which came in different formats from test cricket to ODIs. In the ICC World Cup 2019 final, he played a match-winning knock which helped England to win the World Cup. He has played an exceptional knock in the Ashes 2019 at Headingley, where he single-handedly took away the match from Australia and won the match with his iconic knock. Despite England’s poor performance in cricket, Stokes has always stood out because of his stats. Moreover, when it comes to social media, the player has more than 4.3 million followers on social media, comprising both his Instagram and X followers, which makes him one of the most famous cricketer in the world.

FormatBest Performance
Test258 vs South Africa (Cape Town, 2016)
ODI182 vs New Zealand (2023)
T20I52* vs Pakistan (T20 WC Final, 2022)
IPL107* vs MI (Pune, 2017)

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11. Babar Azam | Pakistan

Babar Azam for Pakistan
Babar Azam for Pakistan (Image credit official X account of ICC| X/@ICC)

Pakistan’s Babar Azam is the former captain of the team who was a part of the Champions Trophy 2017 winning side. When it comes to popularity, Babar has 6 million followers on Instagram and 5.4 million followers on X. Despite being trolled most of the time, the right-handed batter has played well and scored enough runs in the past. He has shown some class in his game of cricket, but sometimes fails to deliver at the big stage.

If we look at his stats, he has played 318 games and scored 14,693 runs at an average of 45.92. Moreover, in the ODIs, he is a brilliant player. However, he is going through a rough patch and is struggling hard to get out of it. He hasn’t scored a century in a long time now and is under scrutiny for his form. He has the potential to play long for the Pakistan cricket team and win matches for them. He is the most famous Pakistani cricketer and is in the list of most popular cricketer in the world with over 11.4 million followers on social media

FormatBest Performance
Test196 vs Australia (Karachi, 2022)
ODI158 vs England (Birmingham, 2021)
T20I122 vs South Africa (Centurion, 2021)
IPL-

10. David Warner | Australia

David Warner for Australia
David Warner for Australia(Image Credits: Official X Account of Cricket Empire| X/@CEmpire_7)

David Warner, a top-order batsman from Australia, is the brutal opener who has played exceptionally well for his national side for many years. He is currently retired from international cricket after a long career of 15 years in the game, but has continued to play cricket in the T20 leagues around the world. Warner has been one of the famous personalities on social media with a good amount of fan following, where he is engaged with his fans with interactive videos and posts. He currently has over 10.8 million followers on Instagram and 2.7 million followers on X, making him one of the biggest cricket fan base in the world.

In his long international career, he has played 383 matches, where he has scored 18,995 runs with an average of 41.10. He has shown good explosive batting for all the teams he has played for. Currently, he is playing MLC for Seattle Orcas and exploring the world of T20 leagues. He went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, where he played his last IPL match for the Delhi Capitals. He is in the list of the most famous cricketer in the world.

FormatBest Performance
Test335* vs Pakistan (Adelaide, 2019)
ODI179 vs Pakistan (Adelaide, 2017)
T20I100* vs Sri Lanka (Adelaide, 2019)
IPL126 vs KKR (Hyderabad, 2017)

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9. Shubman Gill | India

Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill for India (Image Credits: Official X Account of ICC| X/@ICC)

Shubman Gill, the Prince of cricket, is considered to be the next generation of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Gill has created his name in the world of cricket at a very young age, which is only possible due to the game he plays on the field, and has done well in international cricket so far. He was recently announced as the new Test Captain of the Indian Cricket Team and has shown his leadership skills in the past when playing for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He has a total fan base of 18.1 million, which includes his followers from both Instagram and X and making him in the list of the most famous cricketer in the world.

Gill has shown his skills from his U-19 days till now, where he has played 108 international matches and scored 5,246 runs with an average of 41.50. He is currently standing at the top of the ICC ODI rankings and has dominated enough in this format. He is one of those players who will rule the cricket world in the future and show dominance over the others.

FormatBest Performance
Test128 vs Australia (Ahmedabad, 2023)
ODI208 vs New Zealand (Hyderabad, 2023)
T20I126* vs New Zealand (Ahmedabad, 2023)
IPL129 vs MI (Ahmedabad, 2023)

8. Jasprit Bumrah | India

Jasprit Bumrah for India
Jasprit Bumrah for India (Image credit official X account of ICC| X/@ICC)

The ‘Yorker King,’ Jasprit Bumrah, has become the true saviour of the Indian team in no time. Bumrah has developed an ability to change the game single-handedly with his magnificent bowling. Irrespective of the opponents, Bumrah has always produced incredible bowling performances, which have helped him to earn a huge fan base around the world. Bumrah has more than 20.6M followers on Instagram and 5.9M on Twitter, and that makes him one of the most famous cricketer in the world.

His popularity has already made him one of the greatest pacers the game of cricket has ever witnessed. In his international career, he has played 204 matches, where he has taken 443 wickets with an average of 20.23 and an economy rate of 4.54. Bumrah’s ability to pick wickets in the initial overs and restrict the batters to score runs during the death overs makes him one of the most versatile pacers of all time. His heroics on foreign lands like Australia, England, South Africa, and others helped him to gain followers from these countries as well.

FormatBest Performance
Test6/27 vs West Indies (Kingston, 2019)
ODI6/19 vs England (The Oval, 2022)
T20I3/7 vs Afghanistan (Bridgetown, 2024)
IPL5/10 vs KKR (2022)

7. KL Rahul | India

kl rahul
kl rahul

KL Rahul, a versatile Indian player who can bat at any position and can even do wicket-keeping. He is one of those players who play a dependable innings and can even smash the ball out of the park. He has done really well for the Indian cricket team whenever he got a chance, for instance, he was one of the key players during the ICC World Cup 2023, where he kept the wickets well and played crucial knocks. He has over 31.8 million followers across his social media accounts on Instagram and X, making him one of the most famous cricketer in the world with his presence on social media where he posts about his aesthetic lifestyle and posts of social cause.

In his international career, he has played 215 matches and scored 8,565 runs with an average of 40.13. He has also been a key player in the IPL, where he has been one of the top scorers and has played for several teams like RCB, SRH, PBKS, LSG, and is currently playing for DC. He has done great in cricket, where he once lost his touch, but had a comeback in the game by performing consistently and efficiently.

FormatBest Performance
Test199 vs England (Chennai, 2016)
ODI112 vs New Zealand (2020)
T20I110* vs West Indies (Lauderhill, 2016)
IPL132* vs RCB (Dubai, 2020)

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6. AB De Villiers | South Africa

AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers for South Africa (Image credits: official X account of ICC | X/@ICC)

AB De Villiers, who is known as a 360-degree player, is one of the best players in the world of cricket. He has been the backbone of the South African cricket team for many years, where he used to deliver match-winning knocks consistently. He is known to clutch the innings and bring the team out of the pressure, and he is the go-to player when the team is struggling. He has a good fan base where he has 28.6 million followers on Instagram and 9.8 million followers on X. He is in the list of the most popular cricketer in the world with the fan following due to his game and the number of years he devoted to his last IPL team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

In his international career, he has played 420 matches, where he scored 20,014 runs with an average of 43.42. He is known to play orthodox shots and has the ability to smash the ball anywhere on the ground. He has played international cricket for 14 years and has shown his skillset to the fullest, which makes him one of the most loved as well as the most famous cricketer in the world.

FormatBest Performance
Test278* vs Pakistan (Abu Dhabi, 2010)
ODI176 vs Bangladesh (Paarl, 2017)
T20I79* vs Scotland (2015)
IPL133* vs Mumbai Indians (Wankhede, 2015)

5. Hardik Pandya | India

Hardik Pandya for India
Hardik Pandya for India (Image credit official X account of ICC| X/@ICC)

India’s ‘clutch player’ or ‘ICC tournament specialist’, Hardik Pandya, is the most popular cricketer in the world after helping the Men in Blue win the T20 World Cup in 2024. He was excellent with the ball throughout the tournament, but in the finals, he was exceptional. Currently, he is one of the best all-rounders in the world. As he has said, he treats the ICC events like his ‘babies’, which is the main reason why he has been able to perform well in most of them.

When it comes to stats, Pandya has been a part of 219 games and amassed 4248 runs at an average of 30.66, while in bowling, he has taken 202 wickets at an average of 30.99. Pandya’s Instagram followers are more than 41.5 million and has over 10.8 million followers on X. This number itself makes it pretty evident about the kind of support he gets from his fans because of his consistent performance for the team.

FormatBest Performance
Test108 vs Sri Lanka (Pallekele, 2017)
ODI92* vs Australia (Sydney, 2020)
T20I71* vs Australia (Sydney, 2020)
IPL91 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2019)

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4. MS Dhoni | India

MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni in ODI for Indian Team ( Image Credits: Official X account of ICC | X/@ICC)

Arguably one of the greatest captains to have ever played the game, MS Dhoni, has an astonishing fan following. Not just in India, Dhoni has several loyal fans across the globe as well. The former India captain has a staggering fan following on both Instagram and Twitter. He has more than 49.9M followers on Instagram and 8.5M followers on Twitter, which is why he is among the most famous cricketer in the world.

Dhoni is not a huge social media user, but still enjoys a big fan following across both the famous social media platforms. It shows the amount of love that he gets from his fans. Even years after his international retirement, he is seen as a crowd-puller in the IPL. Whenever he comes out to bat for CSK, the atmosphere in the stadiums is something else.

FormatBest Performance
Test224 vs Australia (Chennai, 2013)
ODI183* vs Sri Lanka (Jaipur, 2005)
T20I56 vs England (2017)
IPL84* vs RCB (Bengaluru, 2019)

3. Rohit Sharma | India

Rohit Sharma for India
Rohit Sharma for India (Image credit official X account of ICC| X/@ICC)

The current captain of the Indian Cricket team and world-famous cricketer, Rohit Sharma, has a massive fan following around the world. Popularly known as ‘Hitman,’ Rohit is known for his funny antics, which are quite viral on social media and get reactions globally. Talking about his social media numbers, Rohit has more than 44.2M followers on Instagram while 24.2M on Twitter, which makes him one of the most famous cricketer in the world. He often posts pictures of himself with his family and also shares updates whenever he gets time.

Talking about his career, Rohit is known for his big hundreds. He is the only player in the history of the game who has smashed three double-hundreds in the ODI format. It won’t be wrong to say that Rohit is one of the greatest limited-overs openers in the world.

FormatBest Performance
Test212 vs South Africa (Ranchi, 2019)
ODI264 vs Sri Lanka (Kolkata, 2014)
T20I121 vs Afghanistan (Bengaluru,2024)
IPL109* vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Eden, 2012)

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2. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar for India
Sachin Tendulkar for India(Image Credits: Official X Account of Cricbuzz| X/@Cricbuzz)

Sachin Tendulkar is the second most popular cricketer in the world. Even a decade after his retirement, he is highly respected, which shows the impact that he has had on the game. He has more than 50.8M followers on Instagram and 40.8M followers on Twitter. He is the most popular cricketer in the world of all time.

During his playing days, Tendulkar enjoyed some of the biggest fan following a cricketer can ever have. As a result, there were some unreal expectations from the Master Blaster. The fact that he played for India, which is arguably the most popular cricket team in the world, raised expectations even more. However, he played like a legendary cricketer all throughout his career and created several records along the way.

FormatBest Performance
Test248* vs Bangladesh (Dhaka, 2004)
ODI200* vs South Africa (Gwalior, 2010)
T20I*10 runs vs South Africa (Johannesburg, 2006)
IPL100* vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala (2011)

1. Virat Kohli | India

most-handsome-cricketers-in-india
Virat Kohli (Image Credits: Virat Kohli Official Instagram Account/@virat.kohli)

As the cricket experts say, ‘the modern-day great,’ Virat Kohli, is undoubtedly the most famous cricketer in the world in the world right now and has the biggest cricket fan base in the world. There is hardly any place around where you won’t find a Kohli fan. His Instagram and Twitter follower numbers speak volumes about his popularity. The former Indian skipper, fondly known as ‘King Kohli’, boasts a fan following of more than 274M on Instagram and 67.8M on Twitter. He is also the third-most followed sportsperson on Instagram after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

However, it wasn’t easy for Kohli to earn this huge fan base. The right-handed batters have worked hard throughout their career and have set several records, achieving multiple milestones. Kohli has played multiple match-saving innings for Indian on the international platform.

FormatBest Performance
Test254* vs South Africa (Pune, 2019)
ODI183 vs Pakistan (Asia Cup, 2012)
T20I122* vs Afghanistan (Asia Cup, 2022)
IPL113 vs Punjab Kings (Bengaluru, 2016)

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Who is the Most Fan Following Cricketer in the World?

When the question is about the most fan-following cricketer in the world, there is no one close to former Indian captain Virat Kohli. Thanks to his massive social media presence, with over 274 million Instagram followers alone, Kohli is the most fan base cricketer in the world. Playing for India since 2008, he’s known for his aggressive batting, fitness, and passion for cricket. Even fans across the globe, including India, Australia, Pakistan, etc., and wherever he goes, fans love him for his never-give-up attitude and ability to chase big scores.

Virat has the craziest fan following. People often come in numbers just to see him live in the stadium. No other cricketer today matches Virat’s social media reach and his fan following. If he has a huge fan following, it also brings an equal amount of pressure with it. Kohli plays for RCB and India, two sides that are the most popular cricket teams in the world. As a result, he is easily the most famous cricketer in the world currently.

The List of the Top 10 most popular cricketer in the world of all time is a ranking of cricket players who have won the hearts of fans wherever they played. Players get this love not just for their cricketing skills but also for their friendly personality, sportsman spirit, fair play, and how they treat their fans. Some players like Sachin Tendulkar never argued with the umpire even after declaring him out, when he wasn't out, that's the reason he is the most popular cricketer in the world of all time. The God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, was meant to be number one in this list for the most popular cricketer in the world of all time, as he ticks all the possible boxes one could think of, be it his on-field class or his off-field charisma.

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FAQs

Who is the most popular cricketer in the world?

+

Virat Kohli is the most popular cricketer in the world.

Who is the most popular cricketer in the world of all time?

+

Many cricketers have come and gone, but nobody can match Sachin Tendulkar's stature in cricket.

Who has the most fans in cricket?

+

As per social media, Virat Kohli has the most fans in cricket. He has 272 million followers on Instagram.

Who is better than Virat Kohli?

+

In cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has got better numbers than Virat Kohli. However, in social media, Kohli wins every race.

Who is the most famous cricketer in Pakistan?

+

Babar Azam is the most famous cricketer in Pakistan.

Who is better, Virat or Dhoni?

+

While both are different batsmen, Virat Kohli is better in terms of fan following.

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