NEW DELHI: Javagal Srinath, former Indian cricketer and current match referee for the Indian Premier League (IPL), has hailed the introduction of the innovative ‘Smart Replay System‘ as a game-changer, emphasizing its significant impact on speeding up match proceedings.
“Literally we are saving 8-9 minutes per innings. Which is sometimes almost 20 minutes per game,” Srinath remarked, highlighting the efficiency brought about by the new technology.
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One of the key issues the system addresses is the contentious decision-making around waist-height full tosses.
Srinath explained how the Smart Replay System has provided a solution to this long-standing challenge, enhancing both speed and accuracy in umpiring decisions.
Contrary to concerns about technology overshadowing umpires, umpire Nitin Menon emphasized that the system does not render umpires redundant.
“Technology is not stopping the umpires from making decisions. They still have to make the decisions,” Menon affirmed, underlining the continued importance of umpires in the decision-making process.
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The Smart Replay System, implemented in the ongoing IPL season, operates by providing TV umpires with direct inputs from two operators of the Hawk-Eye system.
These operators, stationed in the same room as the TV umpire, utilize images captured from eight high-speed cameras strategically positioned around the ground.
One notable change brought about by the new system is the elimination of the TV broadcast director’s role as a mediator between the umpire and the Hawk-Eye operators. Instead, the TV umpire now directly interacts with the operators, streamlining the decision-making process.
Furthermore, the Smart Replay System allows the TV umpire to analyze a wider range of visuals, including split-screen images. Live broadcasts of the TV umpire’s interactions with the Hawk-Eye operators provide viewers with transparent insights into the decision-making process.
The enhanced system enables umpires to make more informed decisions, particularly in scenarios such as judging catches near boundary ropes, determining caught behind, leg-before, stumping, or low catches taken inches off the turf. With clearer visuals from multiple angles, the Smart Replay System promises to elevate the standard of umpiring in the IPL and beyond.
(With inputs from PTI)
