IPL 2024 will use the Smart Replay System to improve decision-making speed and accuracy. According to information obtained by ESPNcricinfo, the TV umpire will be able to view footage taken by Hawk-Eye’s eight high-speed cameras located throughout the field directly through two Hawk-Eye operators who will be seated in the same room as the umpire.
New Umpiring Structure
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 they did in the past thanks to the Smart Replay System.
Consider a scenario where the first fielder on the boundary rope makes a relay 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. The umpire’s call on when the ball was caught or released, combined with synchronised foot footage, can be shown on a split screen under the new setup.
Overthrow Analysis
Similarly, in the event of an overthrow that goes for four, a split screen can now display whether or not the batters had crossed at the time the fielder delivered the ball (see the World Cup final of 2019 as an example of a specific use case). Previously, the broadcaster’s inability to combine the two photos prevented the TV umpire from receiving such crisp visuals.
Hawk-Eye Camera Distribution
At any given match, there are eight Hawk-Eye cameras: two on the square of the wicket and two on the ground’s straight borders. Prior to IPL 2023, ball tracking and UltraEdge were the primary uses for Hawk-Eye cameras. Therefore, for any on-field referral, the broadcaster mostly used footage from their own cameras, with the exception of inspections for lbws and edges. Referrals for stumpings, run-outs, catches, and overthrows were included in that.
The TV umpire may request to see the split screen from the Hawk-Eye operators in the event of a stumping referral under the Smart Review System. He will watch the side-on replay for the stumping instead of requesting the UltraEdge to determine if the ball was caught behind if there was a discernible gap when it passed the bat. The TV umpire will only use UltraEdge if he fails to observe a distinct gap between the bat and the ball.
