IPL 2023: Cricket and data, an undeniable partnership
CHENNAI: Data analytics and the use of technology has become a non-deniable part of cricket and the way teams operate in recent years. While analysts are constantly coming up with new variables and factors to influence the phase of play, T20 is one format where teams — international and franchises — have aced the art of using various analytic tools to outsmart their opponents.
Chennai Super Kings bowling consultant and former South African cricketer Eric Simons is no different. He believes that technology can be used as a tool to coach players. One can often see Simons interacting with the players on the finer aspects of bowling, be it the run-up, loading or the release.
“I think technology can be a lot more useful, there is a lot more I think we would like to develop and understand,” said Simons. “My focus is a lot on the execution of the plan and measuring back from practice into matches, etc,” added the former South African cricketer who has also been using a radar system to measure the speed of the ball delivered.
“We use that (technology) a little bit. I had a radar (measures the speed of ball) system last year which we are busy developing and I think that’s going to help because I want to understand execution and accuracy. I think we spent too much time analysing statistics, execution for budding prospects is way more important.
I think that the game of cricket can go into a lot more technology to understand it better. When you can slow things down, when you can see things carefully, when you can go back and look at actions and what people (players) do, you can use it for help. It is more accurate than the naked eye; you can actually see a fact. Technology can give you facts rather than sense,” said Simmons.
“If you come to net practice and someone bowls a ball that goes past the outside edge, everyone goes ‘well bowled’. But if he wants to bowl a yorker and he has the ball going past the bails, it is not a good ball. He has to execute what he wants to bowl. We use power points to show them what they did, like the beehives,’’ added the South African pointing out how technology can be used a tool for coaching.
That is not just all of it. There are quite a few coaches and other support staff who rely on video analysis for each and every thing. With the impact player rule in play, more and more coaches prefer video analysis, backed by data to pick the right substitution under impact player rule. Prominent data analysts who did not want to be named say that coaching mechanism of teams across all levels are data driven today.
“With the volume of cricket played world over, no one has time to watch all the matches. At the IPL auction, many of the coaches and support staff were from abroad. So we have to provide statistics with videos about the player. Upon seeing our videos, the coaches will decide whether a particular player would suit the T20 format and the slot vacant in the team. We also have to provide videos that compare a player with another one who made also in contention for the job. Sometimes we may not have a video of a particular player on the net or from our data bank. We have to go shoot a live footage of the player,’’ said a senior video/data analyst.
“Impact player rule is a game changer. The right player must be substituted for a particular slot. Sometimes for double impact a team management would like to send a rookie whom the opposition may have no idea about. To select the rookie for that slot we have to provide data about his capabilities and his previous good knocks at the domestic level. Coaches seldom select a substitute player with gut feeling. It is all data driven,” revealed another data analyst.
It is not just the team management, the players too understand the significance of the data and they analyse their videos themselves as well. “Many players in preparation for the IPL prepare on their own. They shoot their videos and compare them with ones already shot. If there is a decline or deviation from the specified norms in the form of video graphics they correct the same. As the league spreads world over, there will be no time for the coaches who handle several teams to coach, teach or guide players. It will boil down to self-analysis or should we say self-coaching,” signed off an analyst.