Insights Into The Sports Industry:
The Role of a Kho Kho Analyst
The second edition of Ultimate Kho Kho was held from December 24 to January 14 and we at SportsKPI were grateful to be a part of it. We were the analytical partner for the Chennai Quick Guns, who made it all the way to the final. Our Varun Devaraj was the front-end analyst for the franchise and he sat down for an interview to share what it is like to be a Kho Kho Analyst.
Q: What were your roles and responsibilities as a Kho Kho analyst?
Varun: My main responsibilities were pre and post-match analysis for the team along with opposition analysis. I also had to capture our practice sessions and plan for the upcoming games after the session. During the games, I would speak with the coaching staff on whether the strategy we had planned for the game was working or not.
Q: What software was used?
Varun: I used Longomatch, in which we can tag every single data point. When our matches were going on, though, it was difficult to tag while being in the arena. So, our backend team at SportsKPI would tag them from our Mysore office. Postgame, I would use Longomatch and share my analysis with the team.
Q: What are the important metrics to look for in Kho Kho?
Varun: The important metrics we look at are how much time a defender has spent on the mat during the game, how quick he was among the attackers, and how quick his reflexes were. For an attacker, we look at how quickly he gets up from the attacking box and how many defenders he caught during the match.
Q: How receptive were the coaches to your recommendations?
Varun: The coaches were very happy with the analysis. In the first season, they didn’t have an analyst with them. They used opposition analysis to improve the performance of the team and plan for the upcoming games. Our analysis also helped them identify how to improve player performance at an individual level.
Q: What were some of the challenges you faced?
Varun: The main challenge I faced during the season stemmed from it being a short one. Every day we have to go for practice sessions and then prepare the analysis for the coming match. After the game is finished, again the same process is repeated continuously, so that was the challenge.
Q: What were your best moments of the season?
Varun: There were three great moments that stood out. Firstly, we reached the final and were the runner-ups. We lost in the final, but it didn’t dampen that moment and we will come back next season. Apart from that, we created two records. We ran 6:58 with one batch of defenders, Ramji Kashyap, Vijay Shinde, and Madan. The same batch again ran 6:55, which meant we created eight-run dream points in Ultimate Kho Kho.
Finally, I want to thank SportsKPI for giving me this opportunity to work with Chennai Quick Guns as a front-end analyst. I want to thank the backend team too, for their support during the whole season. Also, I would like to express my thanks to the coaching staff who were very supportive, which in turn helped me to execute my plans.
