Top 6 stars who have helped their IPL franchise increase their fan base

H Anil

The excitement around the 2015 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is reaching its peak and fans have been exuberantly supporting their teams. We have seen many teams, over the years, that belong to a particular region get support from other parts of India as well because of some of the popular stars at their disposal. For example, there are many fans of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) simply because they have players like MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, even though they might have no affinity to the city.Teams who don’t have the fortune of having such names struggle to find crowd support. There are many such stars spread across the 8 IPL franchises, but here are the top 6:

#6 Glenn Maxwell (Kings XI Punjab)

After the Kings XI Punjab’s poor showing in previous seasons, Glenn Maxwell came to the rescue last season and helped his team reach the IPL final for the first time ever.

He played a number of spectacular innings and made himself into one of the most sought-after players in the shortest format of the game.

He has also become a fans’ favourite in the IPL, which isn’t all that usual as far as Australian players are concerned. The reason for him having such a huge fan following, illustrated by the loud cheers he is greeted with every time he walks out to bat, is his simple approach to batting and the belief that every ball needs to be dispatched for a four or a six.

As a result, there has been a proliferation in the number of followers of the Kings XI Punjab, which previously wasn’t considered among the high-profile teams of the league.

#5 Yuvraj Singh (Delhi Daredevils)

It has been an emotional ride for Yuvraj Singh and his fans since the time that he was excluded from India’s 15-man squad for the recently concluded World Cup. His legions of supporters desperately want him to make a comeback to the national team and answer his critics.

After playing for RCB last season, he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for this year’s IPL for a record sum of Rs 16 crore.

Considering the travails the 33-year-old has gone through in the last few years, people are egging him on to justify his price tag and bring some glory to the Daredevils this season.

#4 AB de Villiers (RCB)

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are full of stars like Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, but the real showstopper is AB de Villiers. He not only plays all the shots in the coaching manual but has also invented a few of his own.

Although already considered among the best, de Villiers showed just how destructive he can be when he hit the fastest century in the history of ODI cricket earlier this year, against the West Indies. He then went on to hit the fastest 150 in ODIs too.

He is one of the most loved cricketers in the world currently, and there’s no doubt that RCB have acquired a lot more fans than otherwise simply due to the presence of the South African talisman.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians)

The mentor of the Mumbai Indians, Sachin Tendulkar has millions of fans all across the world. He is a bigger brand than any other athlete in India. He had been the most followed cricketer on popular social networking site Twitter before Virat Kohli overtook him.

He had been the icon player of Mumbai Indians till the 2013 edition of the IPL after which he chose to retire. Since then, he has played the role of a mentor at the Mumbai Indians. Owing to his experience and achievements in the game, he must be a huge source of inspiration to the young players in particular.

It is due to the presence of Tendulkar that the Mumbai Indians get large crowd support in the IPL irrespective of where they play.

#2 MS Dhoni (CSK)

The flawless captaincy, hard-hitting batting and peerless wicketkeeping are some of the reasons which explain why MS Dhoni has grown into a legendary stature. And with each passing year, his number of followers are growing exponentially. It’s no surprise that the stadium turns yellow whenever the Chennai Super Kings are in action.

Dhoni has won almost all the major tournaments organised by the ICC as well as everything there is to be won at the domestic level. He is one of the primary reasons why CSK are the most successful team of the IPL. He has also been the most successful captain India has ever had. With such feathers in his cap, it’s not surprising that he leads the popularity charts and helps bring a huge fan support for his team.

#1 Rahul Dravid (Rajasthan Royals)

Rahul Dravid is more than just a mentor for the Rajasthan Royals. He is an inspirational character for the players and adds much-needed star value to his team.

As far as his playing career is concerned, there’s no doubt that he was one of the greatest batsmen India has ever had and fans worshipped him as ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket. Although known for being a slow and steady batsman, he adapted well to the shortest format of the game and scored over 2000 runs at a healthy strike rate in his IPL career.

Now, as he has made the transition to the role of a mentor, he is using his vast experience to good use and has transformed the Rajasthan Royals into one of the most consistent teams in the IPL.

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Edited by Staff Editor