In a groundbreaking move for Indian Premier League (IPL-2025), the IPL governing body has approved the use of Hawk-Eye technology to assess wides outside the off-stump and above the batter’s head. This decision aims to eliminate subjectivity in umpiring decisions, especially for wide deliveries. The new ruling was shared with all ten team captains during a pre-season meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, just ahead of the tournament’s start on March 22, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
The Hawk-Eye system, which was successfully used to assess over-the-waist no-balls in IPL 2024, will now be applied to determine over-the-head wides. The ball-tracking technology will evaluate the ball’s trajectory as it crosses the batter at the popping crease and compare its height to the batter’s head height in an upright stance. Each player’s head height will be recorded in the database, and the wide guideline, typically in blue, will shift dynamically with the batter’s movements.
The system will automatically measure the batter’s movements and adjust the wide guideline accordingly, removing the subjective element from umpire calls on wides.
In other IPL 2025 news, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will begin their title defense in a highly anticipated clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). This matchup, referred to as the ‘OG Derby’, was also the opening game of the inaugural IPL edition in 2008.
Here are the IPL 2025 squads for KKR and RCB:
KKR IPL 2025 Squad:
- Captain: Ajinkya Rahane
- Players: Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Mayank Markande, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Varun Chakaravarthy.
RCB IPL 2025 Squad:
- Captain: Rajat Patidar
- Players: Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.
As IPL 2025 kicks off with this exciting match between KKR and RCB, cricket fans can look forward to a season with innovative technology designed to improve the accuracy and fairness of umpiring decisions.