3 times MS Dhoni broke the viewership records in IPL
MS Dhoni is one of the biggest names in world cricket. The former India captain announced retirement from international cricket in 2020. While the fan following of many players reduces after retirement, Dhoni's fanbase has grown bigger as he continues to entertain them once every year during the IPL.
Dhoni has continued to play for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL. He is part of the CSK squad for the ongoing IPL 2023 season as well. In fact, the star power of MS Dhoni is such that the new live streaming platform for IPL, Jio Cinema, roped him in as their brand ambassador.
Dhoni is a massive crowd-puller. The fact that a majority of the fans in the stadia support Chennai Super Kings irrespective of whether CSK is playing in Chennai or not highlights Dhoni's popularity.
MS Dhoni also attracts a lot of people to their screens whenever he is batting in the middle. The Chennai Super Kings skipper has broken records on multiple occasions in his IPL career. Here's a list of the three instances when Dhoni broke viewership records in IPL.
#1 1.7 crore viewership on Jio Cinema for MS Dhoni's return in IPL 2023
MS Dhoni played his first match since IPL 2022 on March 31, 2023 against the Gujarat Titans. Dhoni came out to bat in the final phase of the innings and entertained the fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium with some big shots.
It was the first IPL match on live streaming platform Jio Cinema, and 1.7 crore people were watching the game live when Dhoni was batting in the middle for Chennai Super Kings against the Gujarat Titans. It was a new record for the streaming platform on March 31.
#2 5.6 crore concurrent viewership on Star Sports in IPL 2023
Star Sports is the official TV broadcaster for the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League. According to the statistics released by the broadcaster, 5.6 crore concurrent viewership was recorded during Dhoni's innings in the IPL 2023 match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.
Thus, over 7 crore fans were watching Dhoni bat live on different platforms during the match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.
#3 2.2 crore viewership for MS Dhoni facing last ball against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023
Rajasthan Royals played against the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. The match went down to the wire with CSK needing five runs off the last ball. Dhoni was on strike against Sandeep Sharma.
Before the last ball, 2.2 crore viewers tuned into Jio Cinema to watch the end. A majority of those viewers expected a last-ball six from Dhoni, but the Chennai Super Kings could only manage a single as CSK lost by three runs.