Eighteen seasons in, the Indian Premier League is deep into its data-driven and analytically-powered era. Long before players take the field and team management enter auction rooms, metaphorical mountains are moved behind the screens by an army of analysts and data scientists.

In a conversation with Cricbuzz, Rajasthan Royals' Director of Strategy & Analytics Giles Lindsay gives a peek into the processes at the franchise - breaking down the importance of analytics in reshaping recruitment and match management, the many uses of data across board - auction, opposition research, match-ups, and the growing influence of AI-driven simulations that now guide cricketing decisions.

Q: What is the synergy between your analytics team and the scouts at Rajasthan Royals when it comes to finding domestic talent before an auction?

It's a process that has evolved over time. RR have always been known for their ability to unearth great young talent and nurture it and develop it over time. I think in the past, it was really what defined us, particularly when we were in the Moneyball period of trying to find these young, undervalued players and developing them in time. But I think now what we try to do is create a really systematized approach to it. We recognise we've got great scouts, but how can we get even more from the processes and their knowledge?

It's really well-aligned. And what we try to do is go through this process of just having players come to trial. We know that there's going to be great talent in India. What we've tried to do is get an understanding, with the data that's available, with the number of T20 competitions that are now being played across India. We try to really get a great background on and understand what talent looks like in India from a data perspective.

So before we even set our eyes on these players, the analytics team is creating a data profile for them. So we've got a good understanding of who the top players are in each competition and which benchmarks and indicators they're meeting. From there, we then will also send our scouts to go and see them in tournaments. So obviously, we've got the guys traveling around. They file reports, and we keep data on these reports and capture the essence of what is being reported.

So instead of it being a separate process where scouts will go meet coaches or players, or watch games and that information is stored in their heads... Obviously, some of it will be lost because that's human nature. So we try and keep everything recorded into one data system, a data warehouse, so that we've got it all in one place. And then from there, we will undertake a lot of video scouting.

This is one of the great things about cricket, its evolution. I can remember when I first joined the ECB, more than 10 years ago. It wasn't long past the days where a selector would be driving or taking a train from one game to another. And you only see the scorecard data in the newspaper the next day. Whereas now with the advances in technology and cameras and data remote systems, we're able to get all this information straight to us.

So we're able to do an awful lot of the scouting a long time before we actually see the player in the flesh. But then we'll get to a point where we narrow down on our shortlist of players. And it's similar to an American system. We've got a really good idea of what the players are, the types of players we think we need in the squad.

And the trials have changed a lot. I think they have changed from being files to more confirmation. We're not really just trying players out anymore. We know a lot of what there is to know about these players. This is just the final confirmation because what we don't want it to be is one day when a player could have been playing Ranji the day before, that could make or break our decision.

So we're a lot more cognizant that we're going to make better decisions by using all of the information that's available to us as much as we can and finding out what the best framework is to make a decision on a player. So I think it is often said that the best decisions are where scouts, analysts and coaches align. And that's what we strive for. I call it a triple lock. We've got alignment between these three sets of people at RR.

Q: Can you describe what you call a 'data profile' a little in detail?

When I first joined [four years ago], we [started] a common process. We wanted to know what it takes to win the IPL. How many points do you need to qualify? What do you need to be in the top four? All this kind of stuff. And from there, we actually used data science and analytics to understand what a par score looked like and what the phases of the game looked like. We'd have an idea in our head about the different roles with numbers attached to them. So we could say confidently, this is the type of role that we need for a finisher or a powerplay bowler.

So these are the kind of profiles based on data. There'll be other characteristics that are from coaches and what skills they have. But we were breaking it down from a data perspective. As a result, we will refine and update those depending on what the makeup of our squad is to then understand what kind of profiles we're looking for. And so we'll share these with the scouts, with the coaches, so they know exactly this kind of guy has these roles and that creates our filters for what we're looking at.

Q: Sanju Samson's desire to leave must've left a big hole in Rajasthan Royals' balance and planning. What were the conversations behind the scenes about plugging the gap as well as possible after losing a vital profile like an Indian keeper-batter?

Yeah, obviously, Sanju is a great player. And he's been a fantastic member of the team, great to work with. I think what we look at, again, and one of the benefits of the process that we initiated in 2021 was we've got a good understanding of what the profiles of the squad look like and what we need to win.

And every year we conduct a review of where we kind of could be better the year after, what gaps emerged that we weren't expecting, and what gaps emerged that we were expecting. And obviously, Sanju leaving creates a number of gaps. And so, what we wanted to try and do is ensure that if he were to leave, and obviously, and it was to be through a trade, we wanted to at least make sure we plugged some of the other gaps.

And clearly, Sanju leaves a big hole. So, with bringing in Jadeja and Curran, we feel we've moved to solve different problems that we have in the squad. And we also think that with probably some of the players that we already have, we can try and do that. Clearly Vaibhav [Suryavanshi] stepping up last year gives us some cover there [opening spot], and we've got [Dhruv] Jurel who can keep. So, we're kind of filling some of those gaps.

And so, how can we mitigate as many problems? And obviously, it's very difficult to get perfect. And that's one of the beauties of IPL is that it's a great problem for analysts and owners to have - this problem that you've got 125 crores to build a trophy-winning squad, and everyone's going to try and do it in a different way. And they've got different philosophies on how to play cricket. Kumar [Sangakkara] will have a different philosophy to say, Stephen Fleming.

But based on the players we have, what's the optimal way of trying to construct a squad that way? What are the trends of the game? How can we really, really get the best of what's available? One of the key things with an auction is that you've got a finite amount of money, but there's also a finite amount of players that meet the profiles that pass the criteria for the roles that we want. And so, I think we looked at what was available going into the auction and what we expect to be available.

And obviously, the new rules around players entering for this auction... you've probably seen a few more teams have been a little bit more conservative in their releases, which we expected. And so, with losing Sanju - we went to try and fill the holes we could with real quality players. We've got [Donovan] Ferreira in as well, and then see what happens in the auction. Kumar, Manoj and I have been discussing it since Sanju first indicated that he was ready for a fresh challenge.

Q: After how IPL 2025 panned out for RR, what was the reasoning behind going to the negotiation table with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran as the players you wanted in return?

Yeah, I think we lost so many close games. We look at previous seasons, we would have won those games in different circumstances. One of the gaps I feel we probably had was too much emphasis on overseas bowling. And so, we were keen to get a better balance. We still have the option to play whatever combination of overseas [players] we wanted to do. But I think last year, we were a little bit more constrained in our retention squad build, that it was more of a one plus three [overseas combination].

So, that was one of the things we were keen to do. And Jadeja fills out some more batting depth to our line-up. A gun fielder as well. So, we've got a lot of boxes ticked there, and the experience as well. Sam brings bowling and batting and is a great competitor, I've known him for a long time. So, both of them add something different to what we have with Sanju.

But we're confident that from what we have within the squad, we can redeploy that in the form of Vaibhav or Jurel, who can cover different roles. So, I feel like that's the kind of basis for what we did. And I think that was where we were trying to give ourselves a bit more flexibility in our squad.

Q: RR made some interesting retention calls ahead of last year's mega auction where you let go of some massive names - Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin. What was the thinking there?

The squad we had in 2022 and 2024 - between that cycle - was really phenomenal. We reached the final, reached the playoffs, came fifth and missed out on points difference. And it'd have been wonderful to be able to retain all of those players. And that's the beauty of IPL. It makes squad building more challenging.

I think we try to provide the information to make the best decisions on retention or try and make as good decisions we can on retentions. I think the way we viewed it was that we want to try and give ourselves the best chance of rebuilding a squad of similar caliber that we had before. I think there's always going to be some tough decisions around losing not just Buttler and Boult and Chahal, but also Ashwin. I think one of the tough decisions is always when a squad that's done so well has to split up.

But again, I think we're really confident with the players that we have now. And I think we would definitely take a view of it being, you know, a three-year cycle. Some of those decisions were made definitely with what on the surface feel like difficult decisions, and they are very difficult decisions. But I think with people like Jurel, it's a longer-term three-year view for the franchise. And particularly, you know, whilst this year with Sanju departing, it leaves us still in a strong position with the players that we have got. So yeah, we're quite comfortable with that.

You can only imagine the amount of discussions that happened around the table. And obviously with the new coaching staff as well, they came with their own ideas. And so there's a lot of different viewpoints. And what our department did was just present what we felt was the information that will help them make better decisions. And ultimately, it's the franchise's decision as to what the retentions were. But definitely the franchise wanted to take decisions with the full cycle in mind.

Q: Let's talk about AI. How prominently does it feature in RR's processes?

AI is the biggest development of our lifetimes. It's huge. And I think immediately when you think of AI, you jump to the extremities of what you can possibly think of. But actually, it's like when you got your first smartphone, you wouldn't even conceive of the things you're doing on it now when you got one in say, 2010. So we used it initially to simplify a lot of our data science processes. So just as a tool for making life easier for us, whether that's coding or creating apps or things like that.

That was the first thing. But now it's developed into so many different elements of what we do in analytics, data science and scouting. We have tools for video capture. AI captures that and helps make the coaches' and players' lives easier in terms of recording the training sessions and getting data back from that, which we then ingest into our data warehouse.

We've got wearable tech. The players are using a technology called Str8t Bat, which helps give us metrics on how they're playing when they're batting. We are not only simulating auctions, but we're simulating lineups, trade evaluations, and all these kinds of things that are taking the metrics that we've created in-house and then putting them to a tangible use for us.

Even pattern recognition in games. One of the things that we're trying to do more of is actually play out games and scenarios. And what would we do in different situations? And obviously, one of the things we've got in-game that we use is we have a simulator that understands what the probabilities of being successful are, what the game state is, and then what changes we can make around that, whether it's a bowling change and things like that. So I still think we're at the tip of an iceberg. But the amount of stuff that AI is doing in our lives at the moment, particularly in cricket, is phenomenal.

Q. Lots to unpack from there but first I'd like to know about line-up simulations. What does that entail?

So when I mentioned simulating lineups using AI, the important thing to understand is that it's simply expanding our ability to test ideas quickly. What we're actually doing is running thousands of what-if scenarios, different lineups and different structures and different roles within that based on opposition or conditions of where we're playing, and the AI is able to process all of that in seconds.

I should stress again that it often gets misunderstood. AI isn't here to replace our cricketing judgment and the experts, and it's not making the decisions, it's not predicting the future. What it does give us is a much clearer picture of the possible range of outcomes, the probability, and this helps our coaching group and our strategy team to make sharper and much more informed decisions under pressure.

Q: Do you also have usage for it in a live-match situation?

Within the constraints of PMOA (Players & Match Official Areas) things, yes we do. We have a live dashboard which allows us to input what's happening in the game, and it will review against the models we already have in our system. So it gives us an understanding of where we're at, and then if we can make any adjustments to it. It's not, I wouldn't say, as advanced as some of the other models we have, which are much more powerful. But yeah, it's definitely becoming a really, really powerful tool when harnessed properly. And so that's what we're finding at the moment.

It gives us a clear reflection of what's actually happening in-game based on our underlying models and our strategy as a team. It brings together many of the moving parts - matchups, key context indicators, and the information that can be used in-game to support decision making.

A simple example could be expected run rate - it helps us identify whether teams are trending ahead or behind based on the game context at that point, the game situation, and the number of resources remaining, for example, balls and wickets. Again, it's not telling us what to do or dictating instructions, it's just giving us some objectivity and clarity around decisions so we're able to be more proactive rather than reactive.

Q: Can you also talk about tools like Str8bat that you mentioned. How has that helped?

We're really fortunate to have tools like Str8Bat and FullTrack.ai that support that objectivity I was talking about. Str8Bat, for example, helps us understand batting performance through a sensor. We knew when we first saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi before the auction last year that he had an exceptional bat speed of 95 kilometers per hour, but his timing efficiency could improve. Through some focus work with Vikram Rathour (and the bat sensor - Str8bat), he actually increased it by 12% over four months at our high performance centre before the start of IPL 2025.

FullTrack.ai is a similar tool that we use in training, which is from a smartphone, and it essentially films every ball, automatically clipping and tagging it to give players and coaches feedback after the session, not only with the video clip, but also with their ball speed, how much spin or swing happened, the pitch location etc. So they can look at beehives and pitch maps, as well as review each delivery visually. So again, it's not guesswork, it's clear, measurable evidence when we're doing training, and it's all to try and give our players the best chance of being successful on field when it really matters.

Q: Where does AI come in with respect to auction preparation?

One of the things that we've been able to do while utilizing AI in the last year and a half is use that to help our decision making a lot more. Harnessing the power of AI has allowed us to simulate a lot more, particularly for big decisions on the auction. So in the past, it used to be eight or ten grumpy fellows sat around the table, role playing different teams and franchises [in a mock auction]. Whereas now, through the power of AI, we're able to do this millions of times. And so that really helped us play out numerous different decision paths and decision trees and give us an idea of what the likely supply and demand was for each of the players in the auction.

Q: From what you're saying of AI, it seems like the role and functionality of an analyst have also evolved rapidly. How do you see that transforming further going ahead?

15 years ago when I was an analyst in England, I would be cutting up every video. Now we've got iPhone tools that will do it for us. So a lot of our processes are now automated in terms of the tools that we decide, the reports that we create, the analysis that we are producing specifically on the opposition will be prepared automatically.

But then I guess this is the beauty of analytics and the team that I have - we have experts on the ground that will be able to then understand and pull out what is really important and significant, which AI probably can't do at the moment. And that's still the human element - the analyst-coach interaction and the analyst-player interaction can't be replaced at the moment. So we're saving so much time and energy in producing these reports, the information that we pass on. And it's specific to RR as well. It's coming from our own data warehouse and our own apps and reporting tools.

We will then have those produced on the ground so that we're able to give them to the coach, to the players... data specific to their needs. And then we are pulling that information out and saving us a lot of time. And similarly, that's in the post-match reporting as well. So that process has definitely been sped up. In-game, it is still a challenge. But I don't foresee it being a challenge for too much longer. And I think that it won't be long before all IPL teams have some access to some really powerful AI in game as well.

Q: All of this is of course great in terms of being thorough with preparations and even live-match analytics. But what about reception from players - are they open or averse to being fed too much information and how has that changed over time?

It's changed since I started in analytics in 2021. I think players are much more comfortable with data now. But I think they've got different levels of comfort with data or with video or with being told what to do. I think it fluctuates. The beauty of a skilled analyst and a coach is understanding what a player will respond to and how much they need. I think one of the things that we're aware of is there is so much information available in cricket.

And there is a lot of it that can help make better decisions. Because ultimately, a player at the end of his mark is going to decide whether he's going to bowl a bouncer or a yorker. The captain is going to decide where the fielders are going to be. What we are trying to do as an analytics department or as a coaching staff is help the player make a better decision in the moment. Not tell them what to do. 100% not. But help them.

And a number of players will have their own internal databases. Someone like Dhoni has played how many cricket matches? His internal database will be vast. He'll have experienced most of the things before. Some other players may not have a great recollection of games or may not have played as much.

What we want to try and do is equip them with the best information to help them be successful in that moment. And that's the whole purpose of what we do - it is to try and give people, our players in particular, the best chance of being successful. So we will package up the information to be as small or as large - whatever the player feels comfortable taking in. And we get some players that will come and ask for more and more. We get some players that have very little interest or a lower capacity for taking on [such data].

Two players that I have worked with in England, Stokes and Broad, have a vast thirst for knowledge. Riyan Parag is another one that likes an awful lot of information and likes to be taught. And he is great as well for development plans and working on stuff. I think players like Chahal are much more instinctive in that regard.

Apart from Riyan, it's actually our bowlers who are probably the most engaged with data, and that's not really surprising. Working with Shane Bond and our lead analyst Pani Shetty, bowlers like Sandeep Sharma and Tushar Deshpande, use analytics to bring more objectivity into their preparation. They study the matchups in detail, how opposition batters score, their strengths, weaknesses, how they can stop them scoring, and which tactical sequences and field placements are likely to be effective. That helps give them some clarity when they're going to prepare for matches.

I think we are very cognizant of where players are at. So what we don't want to do is burden young players like Vaibhav (Suryavanshi). He's a great talent so we don't want to burden him with too much information. We want him to be playing his own game. He is still so young and still developing. And I think, again, one of the things that I'm so lucky to be involved with is these guys have got to international IPL standards without any input from me or my team.

So that's something that's not to be forgotten. These guys are phenomenal talents that make great decisions all the time. I just want to try [and help] where I can. Even if I make the smallest of difference.... I'm just trying to help them be even better. And that's, I guess, what any coach wants to do too.