With every towering six, every wicket taken, and every last-over finish, the algorithm has rewarded "lesser-known" players.

Data fetched by India Today shows a clear surge in Instagram followers for players from Afghanistan, Nepal, and the USA. What happened on a 22-yard pitch translated almost instantly to fingertips.

India Today’s Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) team tracked the surge in interest in players on Instagram and X who have made headlines with runs, wickets, and high-pressure moments in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Conversation threads are increasingly circling around Afghanistan, the USA, and Nepal - teams with prior flashes of giant-killing pedigree. For instance, the USA’s famous win over Pakistan in the last T20 World Cup at home and Nepal’s series victory over West Indies had already planted belief.

There’s a clear pattern. Follower growth on social media aligns directly with narrative moments, clutch overs, bold strokes, early breakthroughs, and resistance against top-ranked sides and less with outright wins. The underdogs may not always lift silverware, but when they push giants to the brink, the digital scoreboard tilts in their favour.

HOW THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM REACTED TO PERFORMANCES

This time, the tournament has already delivered drama, from a rare double super over thriller between South Africa and Afghanistan to Nepal falling agonisingly short of a historic chase against England - the cricket has been electric, while the algorithm kept a close watch.

The surge in the number of followers for Afghanistan’s players blended legacy pull with a sharp event-driven spike. Rahmanullah Gurbaz triggered clear traction in the double super over clash against South Africa, striking three consecutive sixes when 24 were needed off four balls. He gained over 17,000 followers on 11th and 12th February alone, while our 14-day data shows over 4,000 net gain after earlier losses in that period.

Nepal’s near-upset against England triggered one of the clearest digital spikes. Lokesh Bam’s counter-attacking 39 at a strike rate touching 200 turned him into a breakout name, with him gaining 13,203 followers in the last two weeks of which a single day surge of over 7,000 on that very day.

In the same match window, captain Rohit Kumar Paudel, who anchored the innings with a measured 39 off 34 balls, recorded a single-day jump of 9,068 followers on February 10. The innings was not explosive, but it was guiding, and the data shows audiences reward composure under pressure as much as brute force.

Digital momentum for the USA followed a slightly different arc. Saurabh Netravalkar registered a 5,614-follower rise on February 8, a day after the India clash. Despite an expensive outing, many expected a repeat of his previous World Cup heroics in the match against Pakistan.

Ali Khan’s growth was more event-linked. He recorded a three-day spike exceeding 2,000 followers each day, starting with a 2,866 jump on the day after the India match. His dismissal of India’s destructive opener Abhishek Sharma on the very first ball and hence slowing India’s power play kept the USA in the contest and generated immediate traction online.

CHATTER ON X, FROM CRICKET PITCH TO BEYOND THE 'PITCH'

Conversation on X during the February 6 to 12 window mirrored the Instagram surge. Rahmanullah Gurbaz led the chatter with roughly 16,000 posts, followed by Nepal captain Rohit Paudel at 13,000. USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar generated close to 11,000 posts, while Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan featured in around 10,000 discussions.

In Netravalkar’s case, the volume was not just about his spells with the ball. As a software engineer in Silicon Valley, he carries a dual identity. Conversations spiked around both his on-field role for the USA and his tech pedigree.

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