The IPL auction is not entirely about money. Among the varied factors that influences a team’s bid for a particular player, technology too plays a key part and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has recognised that fact. In the auction here on Wednesday and probably Thursday, that is if the process gets stretched, KKR will rely on a statistical analytics tool offered by SAP Labs India, to arrive at a better decision while investing on players.
The tie-up was announced in a press conference at the ITC Gardenia Hotel here on Tuesday and KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in jest: “I guess we can just send this statistical tool in for the auction and get a good team.”
Later he added: “SAP is an ideal partner to equip us with technology that can aid in effective decision making during the auction.”
The analytics tool named ‘SAP HANA,’ has an extensive database on the 500-plus players, who will go under the hammer during the auction.
The methodologyExplaining the tool’s methodology, SAP Labs’ managing director Anirban Dey said: “When a player’s name comes up in the auction, the KKR management will immediately have access (on their laptops) to his merits as a player and also will have a ready-reference to other players, who have his same skill-sets and their relative merits.
“There will be 25 data-points on every player and this will help KKR decide on which player to bid for. Basically this tool will help them make a better decision.
“I am not saying that this will help them form a team that will win everything because that is an intangible but it will help them get an ideal team that fits into all their expectations.”
