Overcoming fears of a World Cup hangover, the DLF Indian Premier League has kicked off with high viewership ratings.

According to TAM viewership data, the first match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders got a rating of 7.14 TVR (television viewer ratings) for all-India cable and satellite homes.

According to TAM, an audience measurement firm that tracks TV viewership, an incredible 55.8 million watched the first DLF IPL match on SET MAX, as compared to DLF IPL 2010 that reached 42.6 million viewers.

With 31 per cent more women and 52 per cent more kids tuning in as compared to last year, the channel is confident of a strong DLF IPL 2011.

“We are extremely ecstatic to see this very encouraging start to the IPL 2011. It's truly bigger and better than all its previous seasons. The opening match witnessed a great contest and I'm confident that this will be another phenomenal year for the IPL as the tournament progresses,” said Ms Sneha Rajani, Senior Executive Vice-President and Business Head.

The ratings were close to the one recorded for the opening match of the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

The World Cup's opening match got a rating of 7.8 TVR.