IPL-2024 opening day watched by 16.8 crore viewers: Watch-time of 1276 crore minutes recorded; Record made for the first day in any season

A record 16 crore 80 lakh viewers watched the telecast on the first day (opening and match) of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The league's official broadcaster Disney Star Network gave this information on Thursday, March 28. A watch-time of 1276 crore minutes was recorded on the first day, which is the highest for the opening day of any IPL season. However, the data does not include the IPL-2020 season which took place in the UAE during the coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 61 million viewers watched the simulcast on Disney Star Network on the first day. This is also a record. The first match of this season was played between the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Akshay-Tiger and AR Rahman performed in the opening ceremony.
The performance of Bollywood stars and singers was seen in the opening ceremony of IPL season-17. Singers like AR Rahman, Sonu Nigam, Mohit Chauhan and Neeti Mohan graced the occasion with their hit songs in the ceremony that lasted for about 40 minutes at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The ceremony started with Akshay Kumar performing. After that, Tiger Shroff danced on the song Jai Jai Shiv Shankar. After Sonu, AR Rahman sang Maa Tujhe Salaam and Neeti Mohan sang Barso Re Megha. Finally AR Rahman concluded the ceremony with the song 'Jai Ho'.

This photo is of the opening ceremony of the IPL-2024 season (22 March).

Chennai won the opening match of this season by six wickets.
5-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) started the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a win. CSK, under the leadership of new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 6 wickets.

Batting after winning the toss, RCB scored 173 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs on Friday night at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. In reply, Chennai achieved the target by losing 4 wickets in 18.4 overs.