What Being With Kolkata Knight Riders Taught Me

Joy Bhattacharjya has a degree in Math and has a Masters degree in Computer Applications from Jadavpur University. He has been an integral part of the sport and media industry for over almost two decades having been the head of programming for both the History Channel and National Geographic channel for South Asia, and ESPN Star Sports’ first Indian Head of Production. He was one of the first Indian sports producers with TWI in 1996 and has written about sports in the mainstream media.The Team Director of Kolkata Knight Riders, has been with the team from its inception to help build one of the leading sports brands in the country.In India, movies and cricket are religion. Kolkata Knight Riders combines both. It has the star power of Shah Rukh Khan @iamsrk and Juhi Chawla @iam_juhi and the glamour of cricketers. In the five years of IPL, KKR has tasted defeat in its worst form when it ranked at the bottom of the league in IPL to the time when they silenced their critics by winning it all. What was it like to have a ring side view of this journey I asked Joy.How did you start working for KKR? Joy: I have a background in Math and Computers. In my ESPN Star Sports days I had designed a reality show called Super Selector which was all about using math and computers to pick the right team. When I heard about the IPL auction I immediately got in touch with a team at ISI Delhi to design a scientific bidding system for teams. At that point, the sports entrepreneur Jeet Banerjee, was involved with KKR for putting together a team. He got me introduced to Shahrukh and Jay.What did you see as your role? What is the best aspect of your role? What did you dislike doing but had to do it anyway?The role of Team Director, which I performed for the first five years at KKR involves helping the coach pick the best cricketing talent at auctions, identifying and signing the best local talent and eventually creating a system and atmosphere which helps the team deliver the best possible performance on the ground.I dislike parting with players after three years – as you cannot retain all players. Breaking that intimate relationship is the worst part of the job.What were the highs and lows? How did you deal with the setbacks?Winning the IPL in 2012 was a high. It was like a fairy tale. The obvious lows were coming last in 2009 with a team shredded to bits by the media and its supporters.The truth is that extreme setbacks come with the space because the results are very tangible.  When we were in that situation, we just focused on the next innings and the next match – and we actually ended the season with two wins against fancied teams.What was it like managing movie stars and cricketing icons? What are lessons on managing talent that you learned?I think the only way of dealing with a high pressure job, where there are lots of extremely talented and strong willed individuals, is to make the team the hero. You can serve only one master, so I focused on trying to do what in my understanding was the best course of action for the team. Once you are clear about that and are prepared to take a stand on what you believe is right, it is not that difficult.And all the individuals you deal with are eventually fine with you, even if they aren’t at that point in time, because they know the issue was not one of ego or your personal gain.  For me, KKR is bigger than any single individual, and it represents the hopes and dreams of millions around the world. You have to do what you can to make the best possible effort for themWhat are some of the myths about managing talented people? The biggest myth is that they got where they did with just sheer talent. You cannot rise to any level without a serious amount of effort and self-belief.  And every player who has even qualified to be in the squad of an IPL team has those qualities in plenty. The key to dealing with them is to understand the key strengths and insecurities that drive each player. Then you just work to make them as comfortable as possible so that they can just focus on the game.Another myth is that great teams need cut throat competition among their top players for them to perform at their best. The best teams I have seen in KKR and in the IPL are teams where each player is comfortable and completely clear about his role in the team.What career advice would you give to people who wish to take up sports as a profession?It’s a much better time to be a sportsperson than twenty years ago, and things are only going to get better. If you have the passion, find the right person to guide you, and give it everything you have. Bad guidance is the single largest issue I have seen in organized cricket. Take your time to choose the right coach and mentor. It is worth it.Join me on twitter @AbhijitBhaduri