Indian Premier League 2024

'Mene to Dhoni ki batting par hi band kar diya' - Fans react as Indian T20 League opener touches 50 Cr match views on digital platforms

Indian T20 League 2023 opening match between Gujarat and Chennai touched 50 crore match views on digital platforms.

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Akshay
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Gujarat vs Chennai

Gujarat vs Chennai (Image credit: Twitter)

Gujarat vs Chennai Gujarat vs Chennai (Image credit: Twitter)

During the opening match of the 16th edition of the Indian T20 League between Gujarat and Chennai, the total match views on official broadcasters JioCinema touched 50 crores, according to a report by Viacom18. A joint venture of Network 18 said in a statement that more than 6 crore unique viewers tuned in for the much-awaited encounter, which fetched over 1.6 crore traffic in the final overs.

The defending champions started the 2023 season on a winning note on the back of Rashid Khan's all-round performance, Rahul Tewatia's fine contribution at the end of the innings and Shubman Gill's brilliant half-century. The Hardik Pandya-led side, who dominated throughout the tournament last year, began their title defence with a five-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad played a classy innings, scoring 92 off 50 balls to give the four-time champions a good start. The opening batter lost his partner Devon Conway for 1 run but joined Moeen Ali to pace the innings. The English all-rounder's 23 was Chennai's second-highest score as all the rest failed to play responsibly.

However, skipper MS Dhoni's quick-fire of 14 off 7 balls with a six and a four in the final over took them to a competitive total of 178. The match was played at Gujarat's home ground, but the stadium was filled with 'Yellow Army' as fans from Tamil Nadu flocked to see their beloved 'Thala'. Not only in the stadium, but a massive 1.6 crore fans also watched the former India captain's batting.

Rashid and Tewatia help Gujarat start ITL 2023 campaign in style

Chasing 179, Gujarat got off to a flier as Wriddhiman Saha and young gun Shubman Gill set the tone for the second innings in the powerplay. After losing Saha in the fourth over, Gill took the role of the anchor and played a sensible innings. They got a handy contribution from their impact substitute Sai Sudharshan - who came on for an injured Williamson, while Chennai's Tushar Deshpande had a forgettable day as the right-arm pacer conceded 51 runs in 3.2 overs.

Debutant Rajvardhan Hangargekar took three wickets for Chennai but could not help them win the match as Rashid and Tewatia held their nerve to take their team home.

Here's how fans reacted to JioCinema touching 50 crore views during Game 1 of ITL 2023:Β 

Hardik Pandya Chennai Indian Premier League MS Dhoni Gujarat