Chennai Super Kings (CSK) must have the largest fan base of all Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception. Even a suspension of two years failed to diminish the popularity of the MS Dhoni-led team. CSK has managed to make it into the playoffs for the ninth time in nine seasons.
This popularity has now transcended into the TV viewership, as Sportstar reports that the nine CSK matches- as per viewership results through the BARC panel — have registered 263.87 million impressions in all. They constitute 31 percent of the total league viewership in India.
CSK has been the most popular team in IPL 2018 by far. For example, Rajasthan Royals — which also staged a comeback after two years — has an impression of 161.253 million, the lowest in the chart.
MS Dhoni has returned to the form when he could hit sixes at will and is now looking to finish games much earlier. He has hit the most sixes in the tournament and is enjoying a renaissance of his game, that has silenced his critics.