BCCI to introduce Smart Replay System in IPL 2024: Report

NEW DELHI — The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to introduce the Smart Replay System in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 to increase the accuracy and speed of decision-making, said a report on Tuesday.

The Smart Replay System will allow the TV umpire to refer to more visuals than he previously had access to, including split-screen images, according to a report in ESPNcricinfo.

In the Smart Replay System, the TV umpire will receive inputs directly from two Hawk-Eye operators who will be sitting in the same room as the umpire and provide him with images captured by eight of Hawk-Eye’s high-speed cameras across the ground.

“The TV broadcast director, who until now was a conduit between the third umpire and the Hawk-Eye operators, will no longer be involved under the new system,” the report said.

ESPNcricinfo also reported that BCCI conducted a two-day workshop on the new system in Mumbai on Sunday and Monday for select umpires. It is learned that about 15 umpires, comprising both Indian and overseas umpires, will work with the Smart Replay System during IPL 2024 which starts on March 22.

There are eight Hawk-Eye cameras present at every match — two on each side of the square leg and two on each side of the pitch along the straight boundaries. Before IPL 2023, ball tracking and Ultra Edge were the primary uses for Hawk-Eye cameras.

Therefore, for any on-field referral, the broadcaster mostly used footage from their own cameras, except for reviewing LBWs and edges.

Under the new Smart Replay System, referrals for stumpings, run-outs, catches, and overthrows will be included in that. When a stumping referral occurs, the TV umpire will request to see the split screen from the Hawk-Eye operators via the Smart Review System.

The new technology will display TV umpire tri-vision for stumpings, which is effectively a single frame of film from both side-on and front-on cameras.

The conversations between the TV umpire and the Hawk-Eye operator are likely to be aired live, allowing the viewer to understand the thought process behind decisions better.

The ECB has previously trialled a similar referral system in the Hundred.