Technology somehow remained a 22nd-century element in cricket till the early 2000s. The Hawk-Eye and DRS review systems came face-to-face with tech naysayers. Yet, one can’t ignore the fact that technology plays an important role in data collection — even from a cricket bat. Just ask Anil Kumble, who has scripted cricket history time and again. His analytical mind is always at work, more so now as the founder of Spektacom. He knows a thing or two about high-definition camera systems, embedded sensors, video analytics, artificial intelligence, video modelling, augmented reality, and more.

Spektacom is best known for its PowerBat device, which comes in the form of a “sticker”. Paste it on the bat, and you get real-time insights. Shot data is updated on the app instantly to provide feedback on player performance.

The 54-year-old was in full flow at Converge 2025, Walmart Global Tech’s flagship retail-tech event, which we attended. His conversation with Balu Chaturvedula, SVP and country head of Walmart Global Tech, went well beyond cricket.

“I knew that in sports, especially cricket, you had to devise something for the batsman... batters can be finicky. They are tough nuts to crack when it comes to new things. Bowlers are slightly more open. As a batter is very zoned into his game, I thought, why not put something on the bat and see if we can get data? Cricket is all about data. You compare patterns, you compare bowlers. And the pitch on Day 1 and Day 5 is very different. That’s the beauty of cricket. Why not add more data? Probably the best way is to put something on the bat... to bring in data that’s currently missing,” said Kumble.

He explained that in cricket, bowlers can easily be classified — “fast bowlers, leg-spinners, off-spinners, left-arm spinners, left-arm wrist spinners… and immediately you know what that bowler does”. But categorising batters usually involves the batting order.

“Yes, there are right-handers and left-handers, but generally it’s opener, top-order batter, middle-order batter, or lower-order batter. There’s no such thing as a power-hitter or touch-player in numbers. What does that actually mean statistically? That intrigued me and made me put the sticker on the bat to collect metrics.”

He pointed out that most cricket data is collected after the event, but that can change. “When a batsman plays a shot, you know it’s one run, two runs, three runs… and you know the type of shot. But why not get data during the action? That’s missing right now.”

The Telegraph file picture of Anil Kumble

Still, as he noted, batters can be reluctant to accept even a lightweight 10g sticker on their bat (“a 1.1kg bat, or 1.4kg if you’re Chris Gayle”). “In daily life, we adopt technology easily, but in cricket, it takes longer. I’m hoping it happens soon.”

The non-intrusive PowerBat sensor captures key batting parameters as the action unfolds in real time. Once the game ends, wireless technology powers up the sensor to deliver metrics such as shot distribution.

Think differently, eliminate noise

Wherever there’s a challenge, Kumble falls back on lessons from his cricketing years. “It has been quite a challenge, but being a sportsman, you don’t give up. You always believe you can convince, pivot, and adapt. Then you make the changes that are relevant for people to embrace technology. We hope to bring in faster, real-time data. I hope it will become as common as strike rates and bowling speeds,” he said.

For him, technology is a passion. It’s his analytical grasp of the ball that made it difficult for batsmen to handle his leg-spin. With a BE degree in mechanical engineering from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering, Bangalore, he went on to collect 619 Test and 337 ODI wickets.

“When I first played for India, engineering was always Plan A and cricket was Plan B. I was lucky that cricket overtook engineering. I have always had this analytical mindset towards the game. I didn’t have the natural flair of a Shane Warne, so I had to think differently to get wickets. For me, it was about angles, spaces, trajectories… those thoughts shaped my game, and I kept improving. That gave me success,” he said.

Being at the helm of a startup brings its own hurdles. “It’s not easy. When you have investors, they look at the bottom line. A startup is not just about revenue; it’s about the product. Distractions are common. By the time you ideate and build the product, new technologies emerge. Will that change your approach? Maybe. Technology evolves, but you have to stay true to your end goal. Focus is key. If something doesn’t work after a year, you may need to pivot, but you hope the foundation you’ve built holds up. Consistency in process and approach — those are the basics. For some, success comes quickly; for others, slowly.”

At the same time, he knows it’s a world full of distractions. “Every second, there’s new content, and we’re consumed by it. But humans don’t change easily. That’s something to remember. Remain focused, remain steadfast. Pivot when needed, listen to others, but eliminate the noise as much as possible. Otherwise, you’ll be bogged down by too many voices telling you what to do. If you keep listening to that, it stops being your thing.”

Deliver a ‘Zooter-Cooter’ to deal with hype

Spektacom couldn’t have come at a better time. Cricket today offers a career path. Unlike in Kumble’s era, players no longer need another “job” to sustain themselves. “Today, if you are 14 or 15 and entering IPL, like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, you can make your mark early. The approach has changed. And it’s not just men’s cricket. Women’s cricket has changed, too. Look at the last four or five years — the opportunities for young girls to take up the sport are tremendous. It will only grow,” said Kumble.

But adaptability remains key. “You have to adapt to changing conditions, environments, management styles, and formats. In my time, there were only two formats — Tests and ODIs. T20 came later. For us, adapting to the IPL was massive — it required a mindset shift. If your foundation is strong, you can adapt to any new format.”

Whether during his cricketing days or now as a startup founder, hype and buzz have always surrounded Kumble.

Spektacom PowerBat lets users analyse bat speed, twist, impact, swing angles, power and more. Picture: Spektacom

“When you bowl, the focus is on the batter. It’s not easy. You train day in, day out to ensure your focus remains there. At the end of the day, you filter out all distractions,” he said, before recalling a Shane Warne anecdote.

“When I played county cricket for Leicestershire, Jack Birkenshaw, former England off-spinner, was the coach. The Ashes were on, and everyone was mesmerised by Shane Warne. Just before the series, he said he would unveil a new delivery — the ‘Zooter’ or something like that. At the first press conference, Jack Birkenshaw spoke. As we crossed paths, he told me: ‘By the way, I’ve told the media you have a new delivery called the Cooter.’ I asked what it does. He said: ‘People will keep wondering. You’ll never have to tell them.’ Hype works like that. When Shane Warne said he had a new delivery, all the England batters were left wondering which one it was.”