For Abhishek Desai (picture above) and CricHeroes, it has purely been about love for the game of cricket — redefining the lines that shape local talent curation and mediating the connections that the sport holds at its grassroots. The world’s largest cricketing network, CricHeroes, has helped keep track of upcoming talents in the vast space and bridge the gap between aspiring cricketers and the cricketing boards across the country. More than a scoring app, CricHeroes focuses on data and analytics to present viable options and lists to the partnering associations to facilitate an easy process of selection. With a strong desire to shape and alter the dimensions of grassroots cricket in India, Desai’s vision through the platform is to nurture and provide a perfect launching pad for upcoming cricketers while helping the associations at the same time — easing and facilitating the processes of scouting, and identifying raw talent. In conversation with The Telegraph, CricHeroes co-founder Abhishek Desai talks about how the app materialised, its evolution and the vision that it holds.
How did CricHeroes come about?
Frankly, it germinated out of our personal issues as cricketers and an urge to solve them. Invariably, there is discussion after every match with respect to individual performances, statistics and highlights. When scored on paper, there is hardly any context against the insights which are placed without systematically aggregating the data. So, that is the spark that birthed CricHeroes — where we would score our own matches by collating the data and gaining insights.
After conducting a survey in my city Ahmedabad and talking to players and scorers, we realised almost 70 per cent of local games were being scored on paper. Around 2016, I was able to map it out, collect some seed money and mould the idea into a business. In October, we launched the first version of the app.
How has the platform evolved?
We started by just scoring matches and eventually, tournaments. As it evolved, we grew into a cricket network, connecting every stakeholder of grassroots cricketing, currently with around 14 million registered cricketers and two million matches scored.
Having state-affiliated cricketing bodies on board, using the service, gives us a lot of credibility in the market. Currently, with around 240 national and international cricket associations using CricHeroes to officially score their domestic matches, we have launched a conscious effort to expand our platform to bring more local talents under the umbrella
How do you wish to further capture the bases across the country where cricket has always been a hyperlocal phenomenon?
We have always believed in product-based growth or word of mouth. So, even in small towns, it is about expanding the base and facilitating networking. If somebody’s scoring a match, he is adding another 22 potential users of the platform, thus focusing on organic growth. This has been our static philosophy, which has captured a fairly diverse and large market, even outside metropolitan cities. We still aim to expand and grow with bases left to cover. Recently, we launched the Patna Premier League with around 60 odd teams and 600 players, which helped in stretching the network. We try to find out ways and experiments with methods of incentivising which might attract or bring the platform closer to people who still are not familiar with the app. For instance, for connecting the academies in Ranchi, we ran a contest where the academy scoring the most matches would get a bowling machine from CricHeroes. This is how we aim to kickstart the network effect, helping the platform grow further.
What does your revenue model look like?
We have a bunch of our features for free — like scoring a match or a tournament, but to access key analytical features like CricInsights, one has to be a pro member, which is based on a subscription-based model. We also sell premium features to tournament organisers weaving together their logo, branding and options for live-streaming matches on the platform, while also accepting promotions for cricket tournaments and brands from organisers and bodies, which one can avail for a certain fee.
How has working with state-affiliated cricket bodies worked out for the platform?
When we started initially, we did not have a lot to offer barring digitally scoring matches. Realising the importance, ease and the need to have a digitally curated scoring platform, we approached state-affiliated bodies like that of Gujarat and Baroda, along with district bodies. We did not seek to provide an absolute replacement to paper-based scoring, but offered a parallel service to facilitate and ease the process. Having state-affiliated cricketing bodies on board, using the service, gives us a lot of credibility in the market. Currently, with around 240 national and international cricket associations using CricHeroes to officially score their domestic matches, we have launched a conscious effort to expand our platform to bring more local talents under the umbrella.
Focusing on grassroots talent, how does CricHeroes stand apart from the other information stat-based cricket apps?
Players that have made it big from the platform have done it solely on their own merit and talent but what we as a team have always desired to offer is transparency in this process of aggregating scores, offering comparative stats and insights to facilitate selection for the associations. Earlier, local talent and their highlights were limited to verbal exchange around their own academy or tournament, but with CricHeroes, they can systematically access and produce their personal statistics to people around, bringing it to the notice of people outside known quarters, thus ensuring recognition beyond local circuits. Ensuring transparency and furthering recognition of underrepresented grassroot cricketers constitute the essence of CricHeroes, which threads together the processes in a seamless, digitally organised way. The vision is to expand to stakeholders beyond players like umpires, scorers, local cricket businesses, ground organisers, jersey and kit manufacturers where everything locally sourced surrounding the sport falls under our umbrella, easing transaction and establishing connections between interested parties.