The ITC of unlisted market! How CSK shares are doing after a dramatic IPL win

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the most iconic franchises in league cricket, has pulled off a stunning win last night to clinch a record equalling fifth IPL title.

The victory almost seemed like "it was meant to be" for the franchise, which drew amazing crowds and unwavering support throughout the tournament.

In what should be a no surprise to anyone, Chennai Super Kings is also the most sought-after brand in the unlisted market since its entry. The franchise has made its debut in the unlisted arena in and around 2017-18.

Analysts, who track the unlisted market, say the stock of the company has always had huge popularity and in fact since day 1, there was much demand for the shares of the company.

"It is similar to an all-weather ITC stock in the private market," an analyst said.

CSK shares started trading at about Rs 23-28 and at its peak in 2022, when there was a lot of euphoria around the startup ecosystem in India, the shares touched as high as Rs 230.

"The maximum trades that happened for Chennai Super Kings were above Rs 160 in the last two to three months during the IPL," said Thejas Jagannath, Senior Lead Strategy at UnlistedKart.

"The shares of the company, which is currently valued at around Rs 5,600 crore, have been growing at 10-15% every year no matter what the outcome of the IPL," Jagannath said.

To put things in perspective, analysts say Chennai Super Kings is the most popular league team even though there are other franchises yet in this arena. Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals are at a distant second and third.

Post the title win, the stock has jumped 15% and is currently trading at Rs 168 apiece.

Brand CSK has always been synonymous with brand Dhoni. During the IPL, fans thronged stadiums, like no other, in anticipation that this might be the last time they would see their skipper MS Dhoni, popularly called as "Thala" (The leader).

Dhoni, in his enigmatic style, however indicated that he would try to comeback for the next season as a "return gift" for all the love he'd received this season. It would be interesting to see the arch of CSK once Dhoni, eventually, hangs his boots. But that is for another day.