RoboDog Champak has proven to be quite the fun figure during IPL 2026 so far. On Friday, it once again stole limelight with its antics ahead of the RR vs RCB clash at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.
As Sandeep Sharma went through his customary pre-match stretches and lunges on the boundary line, Champak was spotted right beside him, perfectly synchronising its mechanical joints to mirror the bowler’s movements.
The footage, which has since exploded across social media platforms, shows the robot crouching and extending its limbs in a robotic parody of the athlete’s professional preparation. The lighthearted moment provided a brief respite amid the constant rain delays before the action began.
What is Champak?
Developed through a collaboration between wTVision, Omnicam, and the BCCI, Champak is equipped with advanced AI, a high-definition gimbal camera, and voice recognition modules. While designed to provide fans with a unique "dog’s eye view" of the game, the robot’s personality has become its biggest draw.
Beyond mimicking players, Champak has been seen performing handshakes, giving high-fives to commentators like Sunil Gavaskar, and even offering a traditional ‘Namaste’ to RR head coach Rahul Dravid. Recently, Ravindra Jadeja playfully carried it off the ground as if it was a real pet.
