'Dhoni bigger star in Asia than Cristiano Ronaldo': CSK beats CR7's Al Nassr in popularity

The game of football is a global phenomenon when it comes to sports. The vision of becoming a footballer is something several kids wake up to in the morning. Moreover, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo have raised the hype of football in recent memory. The 2022 FIFA World Cup was a wildfire, with several football stars in Qatar for the biggest showdown. However, it looks like cricket, especially the Chennai Super Kings, has the upper hand when it comes to popularity.

The Indian Premier League fever is running all over, with fans clamouring into the stadiums to support their favourite franchises. The game of cricket has turned into India's prime love. Not only the country, but the buzz is imminent throughout the Asian continent over the social media platform, Twitter.

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A study recently revealed the top five Asian sporting teams that were ranked by the total number of interactions. Interestingly, it was cricket that stood atop football. The Chennai Super Kings ranked number one with 5.12 million interactions, while Al-Nassr FC stood at 5.00 million. Two IPL teams, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians, were capped at 3.45 million and 2.74 million, respectively.

The number five team was the Al-Hilal SFC, which had 2.11 million interactions on Twitter. It was the Indian Premier League teams that were dominating the Asian continent in terms of interactions. While the Saudi Pro League is a mega buzz due to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni effect has certainly taken over the 2023 IPL season.

The M.S. Dhoni craze is no secret, as the fans pack up the Chennai Super Kings games just to see the skipper in action. It would also be safe to say that CR7 has extreme competition for celebrity stardom in Asia, as Dhoni seems to be the talk of almost every tongue.

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Since it is the only time cricket fans can see Dhoni in action, the craze around CSK could be an actual reason for it. Ronaldo might be the G.O.A.T. in football and have global stardom. But every famed athlete on the Asian continent may look smaller in front of Thala.