THE Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its coaching methods. The MCA has tied up with Level Up Sportslytics, a Singapore-based AI company, which will work with its coaches at the Sharad Pawar Indoor Cricket Academy in BKC. The MCA is the first association to use AI in its coaching.
“We need to change as per the time. Technology has played an important role behind the scene and it’s showing us what it can do to reach any goal. We are trying to adopt AI in our daily nets session and we will see how it benefits our coaches and players to excel. It’s just a pilot project now. We will be taking feedback from coaches and players on how it has helped them,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik said.
Each pitch will have four cameras installed at various angles, capturing every frame of a batsman. Coaches can do the same for bowlers. If a coach needs to analyse a player’s back-foot shot, he will type the name in the app provided by the AI company and get complete data on the individual.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik inaugurated the pilot project on Friday. (Photo by special arrangement)
The company made a detailed presentation to the MCA in August and ran a pilot project too.
“Across India and around the world, everyone in cricket is interested in AI. Far fewer are willing to put their weight behind a technology and say: we will implement it, and we will take our coaching to the next level,” said Sitanshu Dash, founder and CEO of Level Up Sportslytics. “With this technology, we believe a coach’s reach can grow anywhere from 20 to 100 times. This AI will assist coaches virtually. It is a tool in the coach’s hands, so they can do more with less of their time. The questions the MCA coaches asked today, about the technology and about coaching, show why the Mumbai Cricket Association is one of the crown jewels of Indian cricket. They are a level up above everybody else.”
