Despite his retirement from international cricket, MS Dhoni’s cult in the country remains there as his team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is still at the top of the pile when it comes to viewership across the country.
CSK has actually seen a 12% rise in the viewership, which is a tad more than 5-time champions Mumbai Indians, who have had a viewership rise of 10%. What is a little surprising is that RCB is at no. 3 in terms of viewership despite having the services of Virat Kohli, who is easily the biggest superstar in the world and one of the biggest brands among all the sportsmen going around at the moment.
In terms of state-wise viewership, CSK is topping the chart in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where the franchise is actually based. All these 6 states are in the top 10 most populated states in India and cover almost 40% of India’s population.
CSK and MI ahead of Delhi Capitals in Delhi
Another surprising number that has emerged is that CSK and Mumbai Indians are actually registering more viewership in Delhi than the home team Delhi Capitals and that when the stocks of Delhi Capitals are actually on the rise because they have got some of most exciting young cricketers in the country and some potential future superstars.
As far as CSK is concerned, with the mega auction coming up now, they will have to make a decision on Dhoni whether they want to retain him or not, and it is surely a tricky decision for them. Although Dhoni has captained the side well this season, he hasn’t done much with the bat so far. However, the most important part of the tournament is still to be played and if he plays an important innings there, that will help CSK a great deal.
CSK will face Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier tomorrow. Capitals topped the points table with 10 wins from 14 games, while CSK registered 9 wins and finished at no. 2.
