IPL Playoffs register new high on Twitter with 1.2 million tweets
The tweets during the final match doubled in volume compared to last year while #MSDhoni ruled the roost among players
The 10th season of the IPL came to a dramatic finish as Mumbai Indians clinched a one-run victory against Rising Pune Supergiant. The finale was a fitting end to the season and the fan engagement on Twitter touched new heights. For the first time in the history of the league, IPL Playoffs crossed the Million Tweets mark.
The tweets in the final match this year doubled in volume than 2015 and captured the fans imagination both on and off the field, as illustrated by this heatmap:
https://www.trendsmap.com/v/GDM9/w (CLICK HERE for Interactive Heatmap)
Aneesh Madani, Head of Sports Partnerships, India and South-East Asia, Twitter, said, “It was a fitting 10th season for the IPL, on the field and also on Twitter. From the player Twitter emojis, which were a global first for cricket, to champions Mumbai Indians using the exclusive Twitter Cam app for the #MICam video series and to the million plus tweets for the IPL Playoffs, the cricket conversation played out on Twitter throughout the season.”
Among the teams, Mumbai Indians managed to win the battles both on and off the field. Rohit Sharma and team certainly won the fans over, becoming the most mentioned team this season.
The moment we were crowned champions! It doesn't get any better than this! ??????#CricketMeriJaan #IPLfinal #BELI3VE pic.twitter.com/Ez7aq3rEdp
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 21, 2017
The top five teams also had a surprise entrant in Royal Challengers Bangalore, who snuck into the list of most mentions despite a woeful IPL season.
One thing that stood out this IPL was the stunning individual performances. MS Dhoni donned the role of the finisher to good effect in crucial matches for Pune, while Gautam Gambhir led from the front for KKR. The duo made it to the list of the most mentioned Player emojis, with Dhoni leading the charts.
We know which players made it big this season on Twitter but what about the on-field moments? The IPL always throws up spectacles that catch fans’ attention and this season was no different. Predictably, the IPL final was the most talked about moment on Twitter this season. Among the rest were a super-over clash, a Dhoni special and a Badree hat-trick.
Top Moments this season
- IPL final winning moment: MI beat RPS to win the title
T 1689 - "Tum apun ko dus maara, apun ek maara par solid mara." #IPLfinal ~ @SrBachchan BBBBBBAAADDUUUMMMBBBAAAA @mipaltan congrats ?????? pic.twitter.com/QM91jW494c
— Amitabh Bachchan FC (@Thekkapoor) May 21, 2017
- Super Over #GLvMI – MI beat GL in the super over
Basil's 19th over brought the game to the Super Over. Bumrah won the Super Over for #MI. Indian cricket is the Winner
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 29, 2017
Happy days #GLvMI #IPL
- #IPL opening match: #SRHvRCB
Yuvi's blistering Man of the Match knock of 62 off 27 lifted the #OrangeArmy to kick start the campaign with a bang! ?? #IPL #SRHvRCB #SRH pic.twitter.com/WonUi3sJGz
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 5, 2017
- #MSDhoni 50 that set up a last-ball win for RPS vs SRH
Might not do it as consistently now, but when he does, you're reminded of why there isn't and can't be another M.S.Dhoni #RPSvSRH #TheBoss
— Jatin Sapru (@jatinsapru) April 22, 2017
- Samuel Badree’s hat-trick vs Mumbai Indians
Badree
— Carlos Brathwaite (@TridentSportsX) April 14, 2017
Badree
Badree
Thrice as nice #HatTrick
A similar trend was seen in terms of matches that attracted the most amount of attention. The final once again took the spotlight while the playoffs stage matches were among the others to make the cut.
Mumbai Indians and KKR were among the best teams in terms of fan engagement on Twitter. MI’s #CricketMeriJaan and KKR’s #AmiKKR ranked in the top five hashtags in this season of the IPL. Among the players, it was #MSDhoni that made it to the list. Clearly the former India captain still has a soft corner in the hearts of Indian cricket fans.
