This year's Indian Premier League, hosted by the UAE due to Covid-19 concerns, has attracted record television viewing figures.
The competition was won by the Mumbai Indians, the tournament's dominant franchise since it began in 2008, who defeated Delhi Capitals in Dubai by five wickets.
It was the fifth time Mumbai have crowned champions of cricket's richest tournament.
There were no fans present at matches – that were held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – and the franchises were all staying in bio-secure 'bubbles' across the country.
With the start of the tournament delayed by seven months due to the pandemic, as well as the fact supporters were unable to attend, it was widely predicted the TV audience would be record-setting.
The latest viewing figures from the Broadcast Audience Research Council suggest a 24 per cent increase on 2019.
The Financial Times reports that TV viewer data for 58 of the season's 60 matches suggest that a total of 383 billion minutes of the tournament were watched.
A record 200 million viewers watched the opening match – when Chennai Super Kings beat defending champions Mumbai by five wickets – in September on television and digital platforms.
Jay Shah, the secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said the fixture attracted the largest viewership in history for the opening match of any domestic league competition.
Disney, which holds the TV and digital rights for the IPL, has not provided advertising figures, but consultancy Media Partners Asia estimated that total revenues rose 10 per cent to more than $400m.
"It has gone on to become probably the most successful IPL tournament ever," Uday Shankar, Disney's president of Asia-Pacific, told the Financial Times.
“Coming on the back of the massive disruption of the economy and the advertising market, there was a real concern.
“We knew people were hungry for IPL and would consume it but we were not sure how much would be the appetite from the advertisers. But even that was absolutely astounding.”
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IPL team of the tournament
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1. KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab, 670 runs at 55.83, strike rate 129.34) Set the tournament ablaze with its first century, and was a model of consistency at the top of the order. He also led his side in a late season revival that almost ended with a playoff place. Sportzpics for BCCI -
2. Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals, 618 runs at 44.14, strike rate 144.73) Made history by becoming the first batsman to score back-to-back centuries in the IPL. He had his troubles, too, with four ducks, but only Rahul managed more than his haul of runs. Sportzpics for BCCI -
3. Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians, 480 runs at 40, strike rate 145.01) Craving recognition, after he again missed out on India selection. Ravi Shastri told him to keep fighting on, while Michael Vaughan termed him one of the best players of spin in the world. Sportzpics for BCCI -
4. Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians, 516 at 57.33, strike rate 145.76) Few would have predicted he would end the season as Mumbai’s leading run-getter, ahead of Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, and the rest. He was not even in the side at the start of the campaign. Sportzpics for BCCI -
5. Rahul Tewatia (Rajasthan Royals, 255 runs at 42.5, strike rate 139.34, 10 wickets, economy rate 7.08) For all the great cricket played in this tournament, much of it will be forgotten in the mist of time. Tewatia’s mercurial innings to beat Punjab in Sharjah will live long in the memory, though. Sportzpics for BCCI -
6. Washington Sundar (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 8 wickets, economy rate 5.96) Only the remarkable Rashid Khan was more thrifty with the ball, and Sundar did much of his best work during the powerplay overs. The 21-year-old off-spinner was arguably RCB’s most reliable performer. Sportzpics for BCCI -
7. Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 20 wickets, 5.37 economy rate) An economy rate of 5.37 over 16 matches is extraordinary, and he took 20 wickets to boot. Even if Hyderabad were short of their best, they always stood a chance when the ball was in the hand of their Afghan ace. Sportzpics for BCCI -
8. Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals, 20 wickets, 6.55 economy rate) Anrich Nortje might have bowled faster. Bumrah may have bowled smarter. Rashid Khan might have been thriftier. But there remain few greater thrills in cricket than Archer in full flight. Sportzpics for BCCI -
9. Kagiso Rabada (Delhi Capitals, 30 wickets, 8.34 economy rate) Ended on the losing side in the final, but Delhi were making history by reaching there for the first time. Rabada was their bowling spearhead, and ended the tournament as the leading wicket taker. Sportzpics for BCCI -
10. Trent Boult (Mumbai Indians, 25 wickets, 7.97 economy rate) Man of the match in the final, against the side who let him go in the off-season. Mumbai might as well have been crowned champions from the moment the New Zealander shot out Marcus Stoinis with the first ball of the final. Sportzpics for BCCI -
11. Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians, 27 wickets, 6.73 economy rate) Bizarre to think he looked out of sorts, way back when the tournament started. He ended it with more wickets than any Indian bowler has ever managed in a single season of the IPL. Sportzpics for BCCI
