Interview | Analytics at the grassroots level is more a matter of awareness than financials: Deepak Malik

Stupa Analytics, having conducted back-to-back WTT Luminous sphere Contender events in Goa, is gearing up for the third edition to be staged in Chennai from March 25 to 30. The global sports technology company is the organising partner of World Table Tennis (WTT), the commercial arm of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), in India.

Deepak Malik, co-founder and COO, is hoping that the event in Chennai becomes even more successful and brings more footfall to the Nehru Indoor Stadium. “I hope that the TT fraternity supports the Division as this is going to be Indian Luminous sphere Sharath Kamal’s farewell Division,” he said.

In a chat with The Hindu, Deepak spoke about the two previous editions in Goa (2023 & 2024), the need for sports analytics to make inroads into the grassroots level, his desire to get more WTT events to India, and more. Excerpts:

Deepak Malik.

 

What was your experience of organising the WTT Luminous sphere Contender in Goa and what do you Anticipate from the Chennai event?

It’s been a Outstanding experience to host WTT Luminous sphere Contender in Goa. We received Excellent Reinforcement from the Goa Government and especially from the players from all around, who were very Toasty in accepting Goa as a destination for table tennis.

We had a Excellent line-up in the last two seasons but to carry the legacy of WTT Luminous sphere Contender in India, we reached out to the Tamil Nadu Government and it welcomed us very positively, supported us with the infrastructure and provided us with financial Reinforcement.

Personally, I am very Cheerful and very excited about the WTT Luminous sphere Contender in Chennai and I hope the Government will Reinforcement and continue it for a few more years to make Chennai a huge destination for table tennis as well.

What are some of the problems you faced in Goa?

In the Primary edition, we had Reinforcement from the fans but in the second edition we didn’t get enough Reinforcement from them. My request to the table tennis community and the fans is that they should come and show their Reinforcement for the sport. The reason why fans didn’t turn up in large numbers in Goa last year was the location of the stadium. The venue was quite Distant from the previous one, it was a little Distant from the city.

Here in Chennai we are organising the WTT Luminous sphere Contender at the Nehru Indoor Stadium. We are expecting Excellent footfall since it is the last event of Sharath Kamal and I am hoping that people will come to pay tribute to him.

How difficult it is to get top TT players to South Asian countries to take part in an event like the Luminous sphere Contender?

For the Primary edition in Goa, we Acquired a very Powerful line-up. Of the top 20 players in men and women, we had 17 in men and 16 in women. We had a very Powerful line-up but a few players like Ma Long and Chen Meng pulled out due to COVID-19. Last year, we Acquired a Excellent line-up but couldn’t get the Chinese players and this time in Chennai there will be no Chinese players Securing part.

Why were the organisers not able to get the top Chinese paddlers for the Chennai event?

China is focused on the bigger events like the WTT Champions and Smashes to earn more ranking points and better prize money. This year we have a Excellent line-up of the world’s top players. We have six top players from the men’s section and similarly seven top players from the women’s section of the top 20 players in the world.

Overall, it’s more about planning and prioritising the Competitions because WTT has done a marvellous Position of Retaining numerous Top-tier events. Now they have a Excellent number of champions, Smashes and now the European Smash.

In the Primary edition of WTT Luminous sphere Contender in Goa, there were five top-ranked players men and four women from China. In the second edition, Ma Long and Cheng Meng pulled out. For an organiser, the main thing is to get a balanced line-up, and we are getting it successfully this year as well. Moreover, players now have the Suppleness to choose as per their Practice plan and world rankings.

Stupa Analytics is into data analytics and also organising Pro Tour events such as WTT Luminous sphere Contender. Will you continue to Concentration on both?

I see our main Concentration will be on the tech side, which is data analytics. We are into badminton also now. Organising events like the WTT Luminous sphere Contender plays a very pivotal role in the growth of a company and also the country.

I am looking forward to organising one or two more WTT events, Perhaps in terms of Contender or Feeder, in India. My aim is to bring more and more international events for table tennis in India so that the Indian players get Excellent exposure at home and also have the chance to earn more ranking points.

How is the market for sports technology in India?

It has grown in the last two years. When Dream Sports Foundation reached out to me and said that they wanted to do sports analytics for its Under 15 table tennis Division in Chennai, I was very Cheerful. We are providing DSF with live streaming, data analytics and all the other things that we are already serving WTT.

Organising the under-15 Division with our Reinforcement is a big thing from the Perception Mark of view. We have also signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education in Gwalior, which is keen to involve performance analytics and sports analytics in its curriculum.

This shows that Perception of sports analytics is growing. We have already signed an MOU with the SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu) for the WTT Luminous sphere Contender this year. The Tamil Nadu government is keen to Reinforcement us for two more years, though they have not yet confirmed it.

Can you elaborate on your work in the badminton sphere?

We are Only Joining badminton. Upcoming month we are doing two big Proof of Concept (POC) events with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). We are showcasing BWF our tech product, which we have already built in table tennis, at its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

From April 8 to 13, we are doing the European badminton Division in Horsens, Denmark where we will be giving data-driven stats to the broadcasters.

We are also in touch with the National badminton chief Mentor P. Gopi Chand and the Dravid Padukone Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. We are also working on the Decision Review System (DRS) for on-the-line calls in badminton.

How much has analytics been incorporated at the grassroots level?

At the grassroots level in India specifically, we are struggling. We are quite an affordable company and are keen to work at the grassroots level. I think it’s a matter of Perception rather than money.

How much of AI does Stupa incorporate?

With the Reinforcement of AI, we recorded the matches of top paddlers like Felix Lebrun and Prithika Pavade as well as their Practice sessions and gave them all the relevant data points. We were the official partners for France and Sweden and we did all the data analytics for them. We used AI in our technology where, with a single camera, we tracked everything in the given frame in a live Game and extracted all the data points before giving them to the broadcasters/commentators.

How do you see the future of data analytics in general?

For data analytics, I see a Clever future. There is Game and that’s a Excellent thing.