The Pro Kabaddi League auction is just around the corner now and we at SportsKPI have been hard at work behind the scenes getting ready for it. To assist our clients in formulating the perfect auction strategy, we always try to come up with new and improved player evaluation models.

We previously introduced our brand new PKL auction tool, the SportsKPI Kabaddi Performance Index, and one of its key features is the Impact Index.

It’s easy to think of the best players as being the most impactful on the mat, but that’s not always the case. There’s more that goes into that and that’s where our Impact Index comes into play.

What is the Impact Index?

It is an index created by SportsKPI based on our Win Prediction Model that shows how many times a PKL player has impacted the win probability of a match by more than 5%.

It highlights the players who are actually having a significant impact on the outcome of games.

A raider or a defender getting a point when let’s say the difference in the scores is 20, isn’t exactly impacting the game. Whether they succeed or fail, it doesn’t really affect the outcome.

On the other hand, raiders and defenders who earn a point when the score is tied or when the games are nip and tuck are actually having a big impact on the outcome.

The impact index would highlight these players, who are causing a swing of more than 5% to the win probability. Each time such a play occurs, whether positive or negative, it’s added to their score.

Here’s an example:

Himanshu Singh went in for a raid with Tamil Thalaivas trailing 16-10 against Bengaluru Bulls in Match 29 in PKL Season 9, with 2:53 left in the first half.

The Thalaivas had a win probability of just 16.98% at the time, but Himanshu made a big play. He got both Aman and Mayur Kadam out to cut the deficit to 16-12. That got the win probability to 25.35%, an increase greater than 5%, and got him a score on the index.

When you look at PKL 9, the most impactful raider among the retained players was Dabang Delhi’s Naveen Kumar, with a total tally of 95.

Among the retained defensive players, Saurabh Nandal from Bengaluru Bulls came out on top with a score of 30.

It’s one thing to perform on the mat when the game is all but done and another to do it when the stakes are high. The Impact index helps identify such difference makers, as they are the ones who will ultimately help their teams get across the finish line.

Reach out to us at info@sportskpi.com if you are interested in learning more about the index. Also, stay tuned for more insights into our Kabaddi Performance Index!