IPL 2021: MI vs RCB opening match clocks 2nd best viewership records after IPL 2020

Star India, the official broadcaster of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has said that the opening match of the 2021 edition between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) registered 323 million impressions in India alone. According to news agency PTI, Star Sports has said the opening match of the IPL 2021 season was the biggest in terms of an impression than all other previous IPL opening games, except for the 2020 edition, which saw an impression of 11.2 billion. Star Sports, which received the data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), said that every third TV-owning household in India watched the opening match between MI and RCB live. 

"We are delighted with fans' response to VIVO IPL 2021. Almost 10 billion minutes of consumption (9.7 billion) for the opening match of the tournament shows how eagerly anticipated the season was, despite just a four-month gap between the two seasons," Star Sports spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI. This comes on the back of a successful IPL season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the UAE last year, which saw an overall viewership increase of 23 percent from the previous year. The opening game of the 2020 IPL season clocked the biggest impression in the cash-rich tournament's history. 

The IPL 2021 edition saw an increase of 42 percent in terms of impressions vis-a-vis 2019. Star Sports, which acquired the broadcasting rights of IPL in 2018 after a global bidding war, has taken the popular sporting event to new heights. Each year, the IPL has managed to garner more eyeballs than ever, making it one of the most successful sporting leagues in the world. The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is being broadcasted in seven languages, including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam. 

IPL 2021

As far as the IPL 2021 is concerned, Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is currently leading the charts with four points to its name, having won two out of two games so far. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) replaced the reigning champion Mumbai Indians to take the second spot after a convincing win against Punjab Kings last night. 2020 runners-up Delhi Capitals is sitting at fourth spot with two points under its belt. 

(Image Credit: IPL)