IIT Madras to offer programme on cricket analytics

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation in a partnership with GITAA will offer cricket analytics programme ‘Howzzat: Cricstats? Exploring the world of cricket analytics’. The GITAA is an IIT Madras incubated company, which imparts training in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The course aims to introduce participants to data analytics in sports through real-world case studies, industry experts and fundamentals of data science. The eight-week programme will be conducted in online mode. Candidates can enrol for the course on the official website, digitalskills.pravartak.org.in.

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IIT Madras director V Kamakoti, said, “Sports analytics is a valuable tool that helps sports organisations, coaches, players, and fans gain a deeper understanding of the game and optimize performance. As the sports industry continues to embrace data-driven decision-making, the demand for professionals with expertise in sports analytics is expected to rise. Pursuing a course in Sports Analytics can be a rewarding and promising pathway for those passionate about sports.”

The course is designed to provide students an understanding of the fundamentals of data science, along with practical examples from the field of cricket, the IIT said. IITM Pravartak Technologies will facilitate the course and GITAA will be the knowledge partner, it added.

It is curated by academicians in the data science field from IIT Madras to train students with the skills required to analyse large data, related to various aspects of the sport to gain insights, make informed decisions, and improve team and player performance.

IITM Pravartak Technologies is funded by department of science and technology of the union government under National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems.

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Explaining on the need for such courses, Hemalatha D Dayalan, an Indian cricketer, said, “As a cricketer, analytics helps as you get to learn from your past performances and it helps to grow as a player in future. Analytics will help to know what your strengths and weaknesses are. Coaches and the players can know in which area the person has to grow.”

MJ Shankar Raman, CEO of the IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, said, “Cricket is a great way to teach analytics and statistics as the game strategies have transformed thanks to the use of prevailing technologies. Player performance evaluation, team strategy optimization, injury prevention, and fan engagement are driven by statistics and analytics. This course will benefit technology and sports enthusiasts.”