Latest news with #VenkyHarinarayan
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Bengaluru matches moved out of KSCA: BCCI
BENGALURU: Amid rising concerns over Karnataka State Cricket Association's (KSCA) administrative stability in the aftermath of Wednesday's stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, hosting of cricket in the city has taken a huge hit. The first casualty is the three-match one-day series between India 'A' and South Africa 'A' scheduled to be held here from Nov 13 to 19. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Without specifying any reason, Indian cricket board ( BCCI ) issued a press release, stating Bengaluru matches have been shifted to Rajkot. The KSCA president did not dwell on the reasons but maintained that the stampede and change of venues were not related. Sources said the decision was taken on Thursday and communicated to KSCA. Poll Do you believe the stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium will impact future cricket events in Bengaluru? Yes, significantly Yes, but not much No, it won't have an impact Unsure Before the limited-overs series, the two teams will play two multi-day red-ball matches and those will be held as per schedule at BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) — a dedicated centre near the airport on the outskirts of the city. This could probably be the beginning of problems for KSCA as a host association. According to sources, BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are now weighing the feasibility of ICC Women's WC matches that are to be held in Bengaluru between Sept and Nov. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Keep Your Home Efficient with This Plug-In elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo Chinnaswamy Stadium is one of the five venues in India set to host the premier tournament with the Bengaluru facility earmarked for the opening contest involving India (on Sept 30), one semifinal (Oct 30) and the final (Nov 2) if Pakistan does not qualify, in which case it will be moved to Colombo. MLC: Venky Harinarayan on growing cricket in the USA, AI-driven teams and the Olympic boost Speaking to TOI, former India captain Shantha Rangaswamy said, 'I'm yet to come to terms with the tragedy at the stadium, which has brought joy and happiness to fans for 50 years. If the women's World Cup matches are shifted out of Bengaluru, it will be a huge blow to cricket in the state. As for women's cricket, we haven't seen much growth in the past two-and-a-half years, and it will set us back further.' According to sources, it is unlikely KSCA will host a major cricket match for some time. To begin with, the stadium needs to be renovated, with the fan frenzy on Wednesday resulting in significant damage to the structure, including compound walls, railings, the staircase, and sanitation.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
MLC 2025: San Francisco Unicorns unveil star-studded investors ahead of third season
Logo of the San Francisco Unicorns, who play in USA's Major League Cricket (MLC). The San Francisco Unicorns are stepping into the 2025 season of Major League Cricket (MLC) with a major boost. The franchise have announced a marquee list of new investors, including some of the biggest names from Silicon Valley and Hollywood, underscoring the growing momentum behind cricket's rise in the United States. Among the prominent figures joining the Unicorns' investor group are Shantanu Narayen (Chairman and CEO, Adobe), Neal Mohan (CEO, YouTube), Divesh Makan (Founder and CEO, ICONIQ Capital), and actor Kunal Nayyar of The Big Bang Theory fame. The group also includes influential tech leaders such as Aditya Agarwal (former CTO, Dropbox), Neeraj Arora (former Chief Business Officer, WhatsApp), and Amit Singhal (former SVP of Search at Google), alongside institutional investors like UC Investments (University of California). Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The Unicorns' principal owners and managing partners, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan , have deep roots in the Bay Area tech ecosystem. With prior entrepreneurial success at Junglee (acquired by Amazon) and Kosmix (acquired by Walmart), the duo are leveraging their network to build a franchise that merges the global passion for cricket with the innovation-centric culture of Silicon Valley. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Obtén audífonos premium sin pagar absolutamente nada Top Audifonos Undo MLC: Venky Harinarayan on growing cricket in the USA, AI-driven teams and the Olympic boost 'This world-class group of investors brings deep strategic expertise and a shared vision for growing the game of cricket in the Bay Area and across the United States,' said Rajaraman. 'With their support, we're building a team that reflects the global spirit of the sport and the innovation-driven culture of the Bay Area.' Kunal Nayyar, who joins as a passionate lifelong cricket fan, echoed the sentiment: 'Growing up in New Delhi, cricket has always been close to my heart. It's a game that unites people across cultures and continents. I'm proud to support the San Francisco Unicorns as they help bring world-class cricket to the US and inspire a new generation of fans.' Fixtures of the San Francisco Unicorns in MLC 2025. The Unicorns, who reached the MLC final last season, play their home matches at the historic Oakland Coliseum. The team will open their 2025 campaign on June 12, aiming to build on its early success with an exciting mix of international stars and homegrown talent. Coached by former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson , the Unicorns' squad features a mix of seasoned global players and rising prospects. Key names include Australian trio Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Cooper Connolly; New Zealand's Finn Allen; England's Liam Plunkett; USA's Corey Anderson; West Indies' Romario Shepherd; and local Bay Area cricketer Sanjay Krishnamurthi.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
MLC: San Francisco Unicorns are betting on AI to redefine T20 cricket in USA
Venky Harinarayan is a co-owner of the San Francisco Unicorns, a franchise in the Major League Cricket. (Image: Special Arrangement) Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been the buzzwords for many years now in different spheres. Cricket has embraced data, belatedly and, perhaps, begrudgingly — now it is the turn of AI. No surprise that one of the first embracers are Silicon Valley venture capitalists who founded Junglee and Kosmix, which were later acquired by Amazon and Walmart, respectively. Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan met during their college days in the US and shared a passion for cricket. Venky, who lives in San Francisco, played in school and relied on newspaper clippings sent by his father to stay abreast with the game in the late 80s and early 90s. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Fast forward two decades and the duo have turned their love for cricket into an entity - having birthed the San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket (MLC). "We've tried to build this franchise from first principles, like any startup. And in today's world, trying to build a startup without leveraging the data and making it AI first is not a smart thing to do," said Venky to by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Вот что поза во сне говорит о вашем характере! Удивительные Новости Undo "I think we are pushing the envelope on a lot of how these things are applied to cricket." Some of the challenging aspects that are scrutinised with the help of data science and AI are squad construction, auction tactics, domestic draft picks and in-game strategies. File photo of Jake Fraser McGurk. (ANI) One player identified by this process was Australia's Jake Fraser-McGurk who was snapped ahead of the second season. Despite his impressive CV in T20 leagues, the 23-year-old only produced 81 runs from seven matches in MLC 2024. The Unicorns, however, are unperturbed. "You can keep going deeper and deeper today with AI. For example, if bowler X is bowling to batter Y, the bowling coach can advise what should they be bowling, what length, what the plan is etc. AI can help dramatically with that. Because it can look at all the balls that the batter has played and tell you, 'this is where the strengths are, this is the weakness'," explained Venky. "What you see right now is that a lot of this has been done by the first level of data analysis. AI is sort of the next level. And completely new territory." "I think most teams should be starting that journey at this point because it is going to be opening up a lot of new avenues as to how you play the game. And this is less about our team. This is about pretty much any data science or AI operation. You need to have sort of a harmony between the data and the humans," he elaborated. After an inaugural season of learnings, the San Francisco Unicorns finished as runners-up in 2024, losing to Washington Freedom in the final. It was a big achievement for both teams, especially since they're up against four franchises backed by IPL owners. MI New York, Texas Super Kings, LA Knight Riders, and Seattle Orcas benefit from the experience gained through their owners' involvement in various T20 leagues. We showed up at the stadium, all the IPL teams have giveaways. We have no idea this is what you do! So our guys are running to the local printer, trying to get some flags printed, trying to get some hats Venky Harinarayan The challenge of going head-to-head with such legacy franchises intrigues Venky. "To be honest, I actually love that. Because it's always good to compete against the best. I'm very happy with all the IPL teams as our partners, but from a franchise point of view, especially on the field, you do want to compete with the best," he said before acknowledging their collaboration with Cricket Victoria to ensure they're an efficient unit. "I feel like we are the new kids on the block and we embrace that. Again, coming from the startup world, we embrace that completely." "When you start a startup, you're competing with the big giants. So you have to embrace that. Otherwise you don't belong belong in this world. And to be honest, first year wasn't great. We showed up at the stadium, all the IPL teams have giveaways, have flags. We have no idea this is what you do! So our guys are running to the local printer, trying to get some flags printed, trying to get some hats." How do you grow cricket in the USA? Oakland Coliseum will host MLC matches this season, becoming the third venue in the USA's T20 league. (Image credit: X) That captures one of the challenges for MLC and its six franchises. There have been steady steps with number of matches increasing from 19, 25 to 34 in the upcoming season, with the venues also going from two (Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas and Church Street Park, North Carolina) to three (Grand Prairie; Broward County Stadium in Lauderhiil, Florida and Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California). There is an overarching test of growing the game in the region while keeping the league competitive. "We're fairly clear that this is something which is not going to happen overnight. It's going to happen over a period of time, and we have to be patient and willing to keep pushing. We know there's definitely opportunity on the competitive side, there's still a way to go — we have to keep improving," opened up Venky. "After every season, we reflect on what we can do better, and I'm sure every team does the same. And when it comes to growing cricket here, that's something we really need to embrace." "As a startup, the first two years have been especially challenging. We've been focused on getting our own house in order — fielding a competitive product and getting the basics right. But now, heading into season four, after this one, we feel we're at a point where we can begin building real momentum." "There's so much opportunity. We've been amazed by the interest — not just in watching cricket, but in playing it. And it's not limited to people who grew up in cricket-playing nations like India. It's also their children and those from other communities. You see this reflected in Bay Area academies — one I visited recently had over 300 kids, and that's just one of many." "First, we need to solidify the sport within passionate communities, and then expand to those where awareness is still low. There's a marketing challenge too — many Americans still think of the old, slow format of cricket, with tea breaks and multi-day matches. But T20 is a fast, exciting game that fits the viewing habits here. Once people experience it, they love it, but it takes education." "Of course, American sports are deeply rooted, so carving out a niche here won't be easy. It's not a simple process. But we have great raw material and encouraging proof points from the first two seasons. Soccer took a long time to get established here. So, we just have to keep pushing, keep investing, and that's important." San Francisco Unicorns will get the 2025 MLC season underway against Washington Freedom on June 12 at Oakland Coliseum. A total of 30 matches will be played in the league stage followed by knockouts in Texas, with the season culminating on July 13.
