IPL 2018: Chennai Super Kings steals thunder on social media, MS Dhoni most discussed player
The 11th edition of Indian Premier League saw Chennai Super Kings having a fairytale return to the competition, as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final to clinch the trophy. The tournament saw a massive fan following, with fans from all over the country, attending the matches from the stadiums. The T20 league also garnered massive interest on the social media, with 425 million posts, comments, and reactions by millions of fans around the world on Facebook, the highest for any season. The data from Facebook further reveals that CSK was the most talked about the franchise, while the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the most talked about player on the social networking website.
Here is what the data from Facebook reveals:
Most “Loved” posts
1) CSK fans could not watch IPL matches in Chennai stadium but showered their love on Facebook. The CSK’s Whistle Podu anthem was the post that received most “loved” reactions.
2) The wishes on Bengali New Year by Mumbai Indians’ bowler Mustafizur Rahman was the second most loved post of the tournament.
3) Dhoni’s daughter also gained limelight along with her fan. Her moment with the cricketer after CSK’s qualification into the IPL final was the third most loved post.
Most talked about teams:
1) Chennai Super Kings
2) Mumbai Indians
3) SunRisers Hyderabad
Most talked about players:
1) MS Dhoni (CSK)
2) Virat Kohli (RCB)
3) Chris Gayle (KXIP)
4) Rohit Sharma (MI)
5) Suresh Raina (CSK)
Live from the IPL
These Live posts from the teams received maximum interaction from the followers on Facebook:
1) Virender Sehwag spends time in the nets, “preparing” for the 2018 season #aprilfools
2) Sandeep Lamicchane, Nepal’s first ever IPL player, does a fan Q&A with the Delhi Daredevils
3) Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bangalore retire their 12th man jersey as a gift to their fans
4) Chennai Super Kings live from the team bus as they return to the hotel following their tournament victory!
Express yourself
In celebration of cricket, Facebook introduced a cricket text background which enabled fans to express their love for their teams using status messages before, during and after matches
IPL 2018 – Beyond the pitch
Outside of the sports world – celebrities, creators, publishers and more from across India took to Facebook to post about the IPL and join the conversation in their own unique ways.
1) Celebrity chef and Delhi Daredevils fan, Kunal Kapur, went live prior to each match and shared quick recipes for snacks you can eat while watching the IPL.
2) Kahwa Entertainment imagines a world where cricketing legends from the past were to play in the IPL with their Senior Citizens Dream #IPL team vox-pop series.
3) Aadiya Aattam Enna from Smile Settai featured exclusive live post-match reviews to break down famous state rivalries and match performances.
4) With Duck Se Dude, BIG FM created a light-hearted fiction comedy about a Punjabi boy Manjeet, who has low self-esteem and embarks on a quest to win the love of his childhood sweetheart by entering the world of cricket and in this roller coaster ride discovers his true potential.
5) Entertainment publisher, Pinkvilla used CrowdTangle Leaderboards and Live Displays to cover the buzz and trending stories around the tournament with IPL Fun da.
Messenger Bots
To create new ways for their fans to engage with their team, the Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals built messenger bots that sent out updates about the players, upcoming matches, live scores and even links to buy tickets for matches and team merchandise.
