IPL gets more social

The Indian Premier League (IPL) season 6 kicks off today. As the teams get set to face off on the cricket field, we look at how their rivalries have played out on social media websites.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) season 6 kicks off today. As the teams get set to face off on the cricket field, we look at how their rivalries have played out on social media websites.

IPL-Logo

Chennai Super Kings
Twitter: With over 1.3 lakh followers, @ChennaiIPL engages fans with contests, shout outs and hashtags like #SuperFan and our favourite, #whistlepodu.
Facebook: Offers a schedule of CSK matches, puts up photos of fans in official jerseys and gives behind-the-scenes images of the team readying for season 6. Members can book seats reserved at the home stadium“at a very very special rate”.
YouTube: CSKians, as Chennai fans call themselves, take a lot of pride in their team, especially MS Dhoni. There are several videos put up on the video-sharing website that offer support to the captain as he seeks revenge for last year’s defeat in the finals.

Delhi Daredevils
Twitter: Seeking support with the hashtag, #ApneMunde, @DelhiDaredevils tries hard to create buzz with contests. However, their just over 64,000 fans don’t seem too impressed.
Facebook: Players can be at practice sessions, celebrating birthdays and at charity events. Even welcoming new entrants. Yes, we get it. The focus is on the team this season.
YouTube: Barring the official Delhi Daredevils 2013 theme song that should appeal to the many Delhi mundes out there, there is nothing exciting happening on this front.

Kolkata Knight Riders
Twitter: Super active, @KKRiders is a treat with their trivia contests, sneak peeks of new training jerseys and tweets from players as they go about their daily lives. #KorboLorboJeetbo!
Facebook: With a often-updated blog, behind-the-scenes images and lots of updates, it looks like the champions are going all out to keep the average fan hooked.
YouTube: On the official YouTube channel, KKR fans can learn about their team’s plans from head coach Trevor Bayliss, and
subscribe to gain access to all upcoming videos for the season. Not bad at all.

Kings XI Punjab
Twitter: Get details of the official KXIP mobile app for Android and iOS, hear what captain Gilly has to say and predict which XIIP batsmen will wear the orange cap. But if the 48,000 followers are any indication, @lionsdenkxip need more buzz. Lots of it.'
Facebook: Offering the same details as their Twitter handle, the FB page is a complete letdown and definitely not on par with immediate competition. Needs a revamp asap.
YouTube: A video featuring Adam Gilchrist on the official YouTube channel claims, ‘The King is Back’. That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?

Mumbai Indians
Twitter: Lots of pictures, plenty of shout outs and a #AkkhaMumbaiKhelega hashtag, @mipaltan tries hard. However, despite having over a lakh passionate Mumbaikars cheering, it does not seem to engage followers.
Facebook: Posts include the latest fan song, details of a charity initiative and pictures of players beaming. But it is quite thanda for a team that features Mumbai’s favourite son, Sachin Tendulkar.
YouTube: The official channel has videos of Sachin supporting the team’s charity initiative and Ricky Ponting speaking after being appointed captain. However, the social media zing is lacking.

Pune Warriors India
Twitter: With the IPL season 6 set to begin; one would expect @punewarriorsipl to be tweeting non-stop. So it is rather unusual that there is absolutely no activity taking place. Zilch.
Facebook: The FB page too shows little to very little activity, which is kind of surprising. With star player Yuvraj Singh back in the fold, one would have expected a little more noise. Apparently not.
YouTube: The last video uploaded on the official channel was more than a year ago. Guess social media does not matter to this franchise. Or have they decided that it is a lost cause?

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Twitter: @RCBTweets caters to over 96,000 followers. Branching out into Google Plus to including a segment called RCB Diva for cricketer wives, it does it all.
Facebook: Has images of true RCBians sporting team jerseys, a video of Arun Karthick explaining why he is called KB and gives details of a new “fun” section on their website. Tres interesting.
YouTube: Royal Challengers TV does make an effort to stand out from the crowd with its interviews with RCB divas and videos of contests on how to be the next sketchstar.

Rajasthan Royals
Twitter: The hashtag on the Twitter handle @rajasthanroyals asks the team and fans to #HallaBol. However, neither the over 67,000 fans nor the team seem to have gotten the message. Yet.
Facebook: Sharing images to support the team, trivia contests and focusing on everyone’s favourite cricketer Rahul Dravid is the focus of this campaign. And it does work to a certain extent.]
YouTube: The last video posted on the official channel has Ajinkya Rahane, aka Jinks, try his hand (literally) at armwrestling in the Royalympics. Quite amusing to say the least.

Sunrisers Hyderabad
Twitter: New name, colours and handle, @SunRisers, welcomes fans. They can use #FlySpiceJet and #SRH, give a winning mantra to get a chance to be at the toss.
Facebook: Fans buying four or more tickets can win a free jersey, play in the ‘Guess which player wears this jersey?’ contest and answer trivia questions. This FB page sure is super interactive.
YouTube: While we were unable to find the official channel, we did manage to catch the theme video for the team. However, considering that they are new to the social media wars, we can cut them some slack.