MS Dhoni co-owned Indian Super League (ISL) franchise, Chennaiyin FC has created a lot of buzz both on and off the field. The Chennai-based team finished the league at the top, with medio Elano Blumer emerged as the top-scorer for the outfit.
Chennaiyin FC witnessed packed stadium in all home games with fans cheering for the blue-brigade at the Marina Arena. The team, meanwhile, also become the fan favourite online and has a massive following on both Facebook and Twitter.
One can imagine the huge fan base Chennai enjoys from the fact that its second-leg semi-final against Kerala Blasters was viewed by 1.1 million people online. This is the highest online viewership of any single sports event in India.
The second semi went into the extra time when Marco Materazzi-led side managed to tie the semifinal at 3-3 on aggregate. However, a late goal in the extra time flattened their fightback, but they created enough impact in a cricket-mad country.
Indian Super League (ISL) has also managed to create huge football following across India as the league recorded more than 16 million online video views, while the official channel has 28.7 million visits during the course of the tournament.