str8bat aims to help cricketers improve batting with data

Cricket and technology go hand in hand. We’ve already grown accustomed to tech such as hawkeye, ultra-slow-motion replays, 360-degree views, and more. While the viewing experience has become significantly better and more immersive, technology is also helping players up their game.

Better yields of these advancements, however, will come when technology is democratized so that it becomes more accessible and affordable for almost everyone. str8bat is one such startup that is making efforts towards making this reality through its two-pronged solution: a combination of hardware and data.

Founded in 2017, str8bat offers a sensor (much smaller than conventional phones) that gets snapped on the back of a cricket bat. The USP is that the sensor captures the motion of the batsman without needing cameras. A complimenting mobile app provides insights such as bat speed, impact speed, bat lift angle, sweet spot index, bat lift angle, and more. Moreover, it also provides useful data, such as how their batting fares against top global players.

The platform aims to appeal to almost everybody – coaches, professional cricketers, and even cricket enthusiasts.

“The idea is to democratize sports... Anyone at any time anyplace can play with str8bat and get help to play better,” co-founder Gagan Daga told Entrackr.

Daga added that many players from Cricket Australia, Rajasthan Royals, Afghanistan, West Indies, and others have used str8bat to better their game.

The co-founder disclosed that the platform (hardware and software) has been developed in-house. “We’re profitable at gross-level… we’re expecting to be completely profitable in the next two and half years. In the next five years, we’re expecting 4 million players to be using str8bat’s sensor for cricket,” he added.

To date, str8bat has raised $1.7 million from four rounds of funding. The startup is backed by SucSEED, Dholakia Ventures, former cricketer Greg Chappell, ex-Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland, and others.

str8bat is already present in India, Australia, and South Africa. The company aims to push its services to more countries in the coming five years. It recently entered into a partnership with Cricket Australia to push the platform in the island nation. 

Cricket Australia has also invested in the firm for pushing its services in the local market, the co-founder said.

“We will include other sports in the future as well… We believe we will become iOS/Android for sports in the future… We want to evolve the platform as a service for sports,” Daga added.

str8bat is looking to tap into the flourishing sports-tech industry, which is projected to reach $41.8 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 13.8%. While these are global estimates, it’s safe to assume that cricket in itself – especially in the subcontinent – is a huge market, and yet to be fully tapped by sports-tech firms.

Back in 2018, former cricketer Anil Kumble’s Spektacom launched a PowerBat sensor, which aims to help improve batting with contextual insights, analysis with video and data, and more. Other well-known sports-tech startups in India are Run Adam (backed by MS Dhoni), CricHeroes, and Freebowler, among others. Earlier this month, Shikhar Dhawan launched a $75 million global investment fund to invest in sports-tech startups.