IPL to introduce Smart Replay System for quick, accurate reviews in upcoming season

MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) will introduce a Smart Replay System for quick, accurate decision-making and a less rigid process in the upcoming season, starting from Friday, as ESPNcricinfo reported.

According to ESPNcricinfo, eight of Hawk-Eye's high-speed cameras are spread over the ground, and two Hawk-Eye operators will be seated in the same room as the TV umpire, providing him with images obtained by them as part of the Smart Replay System.

Under the new arrangement, the TV broadcast director--who up until now served as a liaison between the Hawk-Eye operators and the third umpire--will not be involved.

It is claimed that the TV umpire will have access to more visuals--including split-screen images--than he did in the past thanks to the Smart Replay System. Consider the fielder on the boundary rope making an overhead catch in midair. A split screen of the fielder's feet and hands at the exact instant the ball was caught was previously unavailable to the broadcaster.

With the new setup, synchronized video of the moment the foot contacted or avoided the rope may be shown on a split screen with the umpire calling the ball's catch or release.

Likewise, in the event of an overthrow that results in a four, a split screen can now display whether or not the hitters were crossing at the time the fielder released the ball. Now that the Hawk-Eye operators have photographs of the precise moment the throw was launched together with the positions of the batters at that same moment, they may provide the TV umpire with that information (consider the World Cup final of 2019 as an example of a specific use case). Previously, the broadcaster's inability to combine the two photos utilizing broadcast cameras and resources was the main reason why the TV umpire did not receive such clear visuals.

Cricket's 'Super Bowl' Indian Premier League is set to return this week with a blockbuster opening clash between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at their home arena--MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.

The schedule until April 7 was revealed as of now, with the remainder to be announced later because of the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls the dates for which are yet to be notified.

Meanwhile, fans will be double delighted as they will witness four doubleheaders that have been scheduled within this time frame. IPL 2022 winner and last year's runners-up Gujarat Titans (GT) and five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) battle against each other in an electrifying clash on Sunday at Ahmedabad. The fixture will gain immense hype from the pundits and fans as the GT's former captain Hardik Pandya made a shocking move to his former franchise MI. With the move, Pandya has replaced MI's long-time captain Rohit Sharma, which sent a shockwave in the IPL fraternity. On the same day, Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants will be starting their campaign at Jaipur.

Delhi Capitals will be playing their home fixtures at Vizag on March 31 and April 3 against CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.

In what will be the first-ever double-header on March 23, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will launch their campaign against each other at Mohali while two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will get their campaign underway in Kolkata.