[Data] IPL Playoffs record new high on Twitter with 1.2 Million Tweets

The 10th season of the IPL came to a dramatic finish as Mumbai Indians clinched a one-run victory against Rising Pune Supergiants.

Twitter was abuzz with activity and conversation around the #IPL, and the #IPLFinal match was a fitting end to a season that has captured the cricket fans’ imagination on and off the field, as illustrated by this heatmap.

Aneesh Madani, Head of Sports Partnerships, India and South East Asia, Twitter said, “It was a fitting tenth season for the IPL, on the field and 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, to the million plus Tweets for the IPL Playoffs, the cricket conversation played out on Twitter throughout the season.”

Fan engagement touched new heights on Twitter this season with the IPL Playoffs crossing the million Tweet mark for the first time in the history of the league.

Among the teams, Mumbai Indians managed to win the battles both on and off the field. Rohit Sharma (@ImRO45) 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 (@RCBTweets), who snuck into the list of most mentions despite a woeful IPL season.

One thing that stood out this IPL was stunning individual performances. MS Dhoni (@msdhoni) donned the role of the finisher to good effect in crucial matches for Pune, while Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) led from the front for KKR. The duo made it to the list of the most mentioned Player Emojis, with Dhoni leading the charts.

Most Mentioned Player Emoji hashtags

So, we know which players made it big this season on Twitter, but what about the on-field moments? 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 was a super-over clash, a Dhoni special and a Badree hat-trick.

Top Moments this season

1. 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

2. 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
Happy days #GLvMI #IPL

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 29, 2017

3. #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

4. #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

5. Samuel Badree’s hat-trick vs Mumbai Indians

Badree
Badree
Badree

Thrice as nice #HatTrick

— Carlos Brathwaite (@TridentSportsX) April 14, 2017

A similar trend was seen in terms of matches that attracted the most amount of attention. The final once again was the one that took the spotlight, while the playoffs stage matches were among the others to make the cut.

Most Mentioned Matches by hashtags

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.

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