IPL Introduces Smart Replay System for Faster and More Accurate Reviews

This season, the IPL will debut the Smart Replay System, which will improve decision-making speed and accuracy. According to information obtained by Reports, the TV umpire will be able to view footage taken by eight of Hawk-Eye’s high-speed cameras located across the field directly through two Hawk-Eye operators who will be seated in the same room as the umpire. 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.