SAP’s solutions helped KKR strategize better during IPL

BANGALORE, INDIA: SAP Labs India today announced that powered by SAP Technology, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) claimed the seventh edition of the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL).

SAP HANA based platforms - SAP Auction Analytics, SAP Game Analytics, and SAP Lumira enabled KKR to evaluate players during the auction, derive post-game analytics following each of the team's games, and drive fan engagement respectively, during the Pepsi IPL 2014.

During this year's auction, KKR sought to gain a competitive advantage over other teams by picking the right players at the right price. To objectivize their selections, they applied SAP Auction Analytics.

Developed using the principles of Design Thinking, SAP Auction Analytics leveraged the predictive analytics capabilities of SAP HANA through a live dashboard that enabled KKR to derive intelligence on players featured in the auction. With the help of SAP Auction Analytics, KKR put together the winning team of 19 players.

"With SAP's solutions, we gained a multi-dimensional analysis of every player and were able to devise a playing 11 that had the maximum chance of winning the tournament. During the game too, SAP's solutions helped us strategize better and provide a great experience to our fans," said Venky Mysore, MD and CEO, KKR, adding "Partnering with SAP was lucky for us."

A data visualization software, SAP Lumira, provided fans with statistics to learn more about how KKR performed over the course of the 16-match campaign during the Pepsi IPL 2014. Furthermore, the SAP Game Analytics solution helped analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each player competing in the IPL to help KKR increase team readiness and performance versus its opponents over the course of 60-match event en route to the title.

"The business of sports and entertainment is at an inflection point with new technologies driving significant changes to the business and creating vast amounts of qualitative and quantitative data," said Anirban Dey, MD, SAP Labs India.

"SAP solutions help sporting organizations turn data into action to gain a competitive edge by increased player availability, reliability, readiness, and performance. KKR's victory in the seventh edition of the IPL is the perfect confluence of team strategy, player performance, and the use of insights from SAP to drive immediate action towards the team's victory."

Globally, a growing number of sports leagues, teams, and stadiums work with SAP to develop integrated business management solutions that help them run their businesses. The SAP for Sports & Entertainment solution portfolio helps the industry run better, from fans to athletes to teams and leagues. Along with the KKR engagement in India, SAP also boasts several sporting solutions and partnerships, including:

· The National Basketball Association (NBA) for fans to get interactive access to virtually unlimited amounts of official NBA statistics and analysis, including every official box score in NBA history.

· The National Football League to adopt on-demand technology from SAP for its proprietary NFL.com Fantasy Football offering.

· The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to further engage fans, players, and better serve the media through the development of innovative technology and apps.