V.V.S. Laxman, Abhinav Mukund, Robin Uthappa and Ian Bishop spoke about the benefits of Power Bat, a tool that provides players, coaches, commentators, fans and viewers a completely new and unique way to engage with cricket and improve their game.
Spektacom Technologies, start-up by former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble, Microsoft Corp and broadcast partner Star India introduced the product at the Star India studio on Thursday.
The Power Bat is powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform using AI and Internet of Things (IoT) services.
Power Bat is a unique concept whereby a lightweight, Azure Sphere-powered sticker is stuck on the shoulder of the bat.
As soon as the batsman hits the ball, data on different parameters (speed, twist, and quality of the shot) are captured in a new unit of measurement titled Power Speks.
Mukund said he had used Power Bat in the TNPL and Star India used it in a recent series to provide real-time statistics and insights straight off the ground.
“We are excited to be part of the work Spektacom and Star India are doing to enhance cricket experience for fans, players and coaches.
“We have already seen the impact that connected devices have had in other industries, and we believe that with the advancements in our AI and cloud services, this is just the beginning of what’s possible for not only cricket, but all sports,” said Peggy Johnson, executive vice-president, Microsoft.
Star India Managing Director Sanjay Gupta said: “We have always striven to redefine and elevate experiences for sports fans.
“From multi-language feeds and Select Dugout to VR and Watch n’ Play, the coverage of the Vivo-IPL demonstrates our commitment toward creating new benchmarks in how technology is deployed to deepen fan engagement.
“Power Bat promises to be another step in the same direction, and we look forward to the partnership with Anil Kumble and Microsoft in bringing it to our broadcasts.”
Kumble said: “Our vision is to bring sports closer to fans through interesting ways of engagement using real-time sports analytics. At the same time, it is important that the technologies used are seamless and do not disrupt the game or obstruct the players.”