‘Dhoni hai, sambhaal lega!’ For all cricket-loving Indians, this was the sentiment when they watched Chennai Super Kings skipper taking a strike during the last over of the thriller at legendary Chepauk stadium on Wednesday. While there were over 30,000 people present in the stadium, several million tuned in to watch the last over of the match 17 – Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals – last evening.
Data from Jio Cinema shows that 2.2 crore people were watching that last over when Dhoni was batting. This is the new record, an all-time high viewership that Jio has seen since the beginning of Tata IPL 2023. In an emotional tweet, Jio said that for one moment over 2 crore ‘Indians held their breath’. Though it didn’t have the perfect ending as everybody expected but ‘time stood still’ for that moment, Jio said in the tweet. Dhoni, IPL, CSK vs RR and Jio were among the top trends on Wednesday evening.
Dhoni’s craze is unparalleled by any standard. Even the last time when he smashed two sixes in a game against Lucknow Super Giants, Jio had seen a record viewership of 1.7 crore. That time, CSK had won the game.
Dhoni is known for hitting big shots in the last over to change the game. The ultimate finisher, however, couldn’t score a victory in his 200th appearance as CSK skipper on Wednesday. While many are lauding the calmness of RR’s Sandeep Sharma, who bowled the last over and successfully defended 21 runs, others feel dejected for ‘Mahi.’ Chepauk is the home ground of Chennai Super Kings.
This year, Jio Cinema, the official streaming partner for Tata IPL 2023, is streaming the matches free on app. Jio has witnessed a blockbuster season thanks to roaring response to IPL matches. In the opening weekend, Jio recorded viewership of 147 crore, an official statement said. While Dhoni’s last over valiant batting got 2.2 crore video views for Jio, the RCB vs LSG match with 1.8 crore viewership is at the second position.