Reports: IPL 10 was the most popular edition and KKR the most followed team
What's the story?
A report published by media agency Maxus revealed that the recently concluded 2017 IPL has been the most popular one over the ten-year history of the tournament with a whopping 6 million mentions around IPL made during the season – twice more than the numbers of the 2016 IPL.
Amongst the teams, Shah Rukh Khan co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders emerged on top while former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the most talked about player. His successor Virat Kohli, who had led the charts in 2016, stood seventh this time around as he endured a difficult season with Royal Challengers Bangalore, who finished bottom of the 2017 IPL points table.
“There was huge buzz created by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) in the market around the tenth season. The board had organised eight opening ceremonies this time (one in each of the venues), instead of just one like every year. Even the IPL Fan Parks were set up in 36 cities this time. That helped BCCI a lot in making a noise. And of course, the sport itself continues to perform,” said Jigar Rambhia, national director, sports and entertainment partnerships, Maxus India.
In case you didn’t know...
The Indian Premier League has been a huge success ever since its inception in 2008 with the best of international players making their presence felt in the T20 extravaganza over the years. It has paved the way for various T20 leagues to pop up across the globe but IPL stands above all in terms of viewership as well as with the international presence it garners.
The numbers in the Maxus report indicate that the IPL continues to grow as a brand and despite many hurdles along the way, like the 2013 spot-fixing scandal or the betting scandal that saw Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals – two teams which boast of a huge fan base – suspended for the past two seasons, the viewers have stayed loyal to the IPL.
The details
Maxus, a part of WPP-owned GroupM, has been the media agency for the IPL since the very first edition in 2008 and Maxus Mesh, its marketing command centre and dialogue engine that reads environmental signals in real-time have been conducting extensive studies over the past ten years putting out numbers to showcase how the viewers have taken to the IPL.
As stated earlier, the 2017 IPL generated a huge buzz with 6.49 mentions across various social media platforms while the final between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant was unsurprisingly the most keenly followed match with more than 5 lakh mentions. The ploy to stage eight different opening ceremonies at eight different venues did the trick as the opening week registered a 40% increase in viewership.
While Mumbai was the most active city in terms of IPL mentions, the winning side, Mumbai Indians came second to Kolkata Knight Riders in terms of the most followed team. Despite a dismal season, Royal Challengers Bangalore came in third.
Amongst the players, Dhoni was the most popular one followed by Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma while Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner was the most popular non-Indian cricketer in the 2017 IPL.
What’s next?
With CSK and RR set to return to the IPL fold next season, the numbers look set to well and truly increase in the eleventh edition. But we do have to bear in mind that the BCCI’s proposed move to put all the players back into the auction could have a significant bearing on which players and teams come out on top in terms of support.
Extra Cover: Harsha Bhogle picks his IPL team of the decade; names MS Dhoni as the captain of the side
Author's take
The Maxus report clearly shows that the numbers do not generally mean that the player or team is doing well as Dhoni emerged top of the charts despite an underwhelming season. KKR too pipped MI to the top spot amongst the team with Shah Rukh Khan’s presence may be influencing the numbers.