NEW DELHI: According to influencer analytics platform HypeAuditor, Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya is currently the second-highest ranked cricketer among the world’s top Instagram influencers, while Virat Kohli, who is ranked No. 2 globally, sits at the top position among the cricketers.
At the very top of the list is football legend Cristiano Ronaldo with over 671 million followers. Virat Kohli follows in second place with nearly 275 million followers, making him the highest-ranked Indian and one of the biggest sports influencers in the world.
Other global stars in the top 10 include Lionel Messi, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, Zendaya and members of popular K-pop bands.
Hardik Pandya, ranked 22nd, has around 45 million followers. Despite having fewer followers compared to Kohli, his engagement numbers remain strong, showing that his fans actively like, comment and interact with his posts.
The platform does not rank influencers based only on follower count. The platform collects raw data from different open sources and then processes it to group influencers into categories.
It uses AI tools to check audience quality, ensuring that engagement comes from real followers and not bots or fake accounts.
The rankings are also updated regularly by monitoring daily changes in follower growth and engagement levels.
This means the list reflects not just popularity, but also how authentic and active an influencer’s audience is.
For Indian cricket fans, it highlights the massive global digital presence of stars like Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, who continue to dominate not just on the field, but also on social media.
Currently, Pandya is on national duties as Team India aims to retain the T20 World Cup title.
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