IPL introduces Hawk-Eye technology for wide ball decisions in 2025
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has revealed that it will be using Hawk-Eye technology to call wide balls in its next 2025 season.
The decision was communicated to all 10 team captains in a pre-season meeting in Mumbai.
The cutting-edge system will also be used to call head-high wides, in a major leap for the league's use of technology for decision-making.
Tech details
Hawk-Eye technology: A game-changer for IPL
Hawk-Eye technology, which was used to measure over-the-waist no-balls in IPL 2024, will now be used for head-high wides.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the system employs ball-tracking technology to measure the height of a ball as it passes the batter at the popping crease.
This is then compared with the batter's toe-to-head height when standing upright, which is recorded in advance.
If the ball's height exceeds this recorded head height, it's a wide.
Automation
Automated decision-making process
The head heights of each player will be stored in a database, removing subjective judgment from the decision-making process. An automated system will do all the measurements.
Further, the IPL has decided that the wide guideline, usually in blue, will now move with the batter. For example, if a right-handed batter moves one foot to his right outside off stump, the wide guideline will shift accordingly and be used to determine a wide.
Tech adoption
IPL's commitment to technological advancement
Notably, the IPL has been at the forefront of utilizing technology for decision-making.
In 2023, it permitted teams to refer wides and no-balls as part of two DRS reviews in IPL.
Last year, the league became the first to employ ball-tracking technology to judge over-the-waist no-balls.
The Smart Replay System, which was introduced in IPL 2024, will continue this season to improve decision-making accuracy and speed.