TKR CEO wants to see more innovation in CPL

CEO of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), Venky Mysore, believes more innovation is needed in the Caribbean in order to continue filling cricket stands, even despite the popularity of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Speaking after The Selector App friendly between a Kieron Pollard XI and Dwayne Bravo XI, Mysore said the ability to allow fans to make decisions and feel included in the game via the app was something that he'd like to see growing in the sport.

"It was a lot of fun. It was amazing to see the number of people who came out to see the game. It was even more exciting seeing quite a bit of them online trying to be part of things. It's an innovative idea. To my knowledge, it's the very first pilot (project) that's happening, so hopefully this will be the start of something special for them (The Selector App)," he indicated, revealing this partnership was only with TKR and would be tested with his Kolkata franchise as well so that fans could pick bowlers, batsmen and dictate key parts of the match.

"They've been talking to us for quite some time, well over a year now. And the idea was shared as we have the biggest fanbase of any franchise in cricket. We were able to socialise it on our platforms here and in India and hopefully it's generated a lot of excitement. They're intending to do the same thing back home; we're about a year away from that but we'd like to continue our partnership with them," Mysore continued, stressing on how they needed to adapt to build buzz and involve fans outside the stadium.

"Anytime you can bring fans to come in and participate differently and feel close to the game and close to the players, it's good for the game of cricket. Because the game needs a lot of fans to come back to the stadium. It's not nice when you see some international games with nobody in the stadium. I think T20 (cricket) and games like this – the IPL and CPL etc. – have brought a lot of fans back to the stadium, which is great. Innovation like this gets more fans engaged, which is terrific for the game," he said.

Mysore believes this initiative appealed heavily to kids and women especially, and augurs well for the future of the sport, marrying technology and capitalising on the rising digital wave and smartphone usage. He admitted seeing fans receptive to this buoyed the franchise as they begin defence of the CPL title tomorrow night, at the Queen's Park Oval, against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

"Fingers crossed, hopefully it will be another good campaign. Every season is a new season, every game is a new game. They still have to go out there and give their best. The new head coach Brendon McCullum is fantastic. The vibe is good. Everyone is excited and optimistic," Mysore said.

He also revealed despite not seeing crowds at international games, particularly the current India visit, his organisation can't get over its deep love affair with the country. "It's a unique place. It's fantastic. The type of energy and the fans and the way they enjoy the game and appreciate it – the drinks in hand, lots of music going on, lots of dancing – but at the same time they're very knowledgeable about cricket. They're a very supporting type of crowd. [...] As I go around to restaurants and malls and drive around people come to say hello, it feels really good. We feel really welcome and embraced by the people in Trinidad and Tobago," he concluded.