IPL 2020: Governing Council approves TV umpire for no-balls
What's the story
The cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) would see further innovations from its upcoming edition in 2020. Following the Governing Council meeting on Tuesday, it was decided that further innovative technology would be used to curb the incidents of umpires failing to spot or call for no-balls. Similar incidents had rocked the tournament during the last edition, with players calling for innovation. Here is more.
TV umpires
TV umpires to monitor both front-foot and waist-height no-balls
As per the decision taken on Tuesday, the TV umpires would be monitoring both the front-foot and the waist-height no-ball, which had rocked the tournament in the last edition. The decision was taken by the GC, headed by Brijesh Patel, while an official confirmed that it could be tried out in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, starting Friday.
IPL 2019
Twin no-ball incidents had rocked IPL 2019
During the last edition of the tournament, there were two notable incidents. During a Bangalore match, Lasith Malinga of Mumbai had bowled a no-ball in the final delivery, which wasn't spotted by the umpires, as the former lost the match. Also, a match involving Chennai against Rajasthan saw the umpire calling for waist-height no-ball, only to be controversially ruled out by the square-leg umpire.
Opening ceremonies
IPL bids goodbye to opening ceremonies
In another bold decision by the GC, it has been decided to do away with the regular opening ceremonies prior to the start of the tournament. As per a report by The Indian Express, an official said, "The opening ceremonies are a waste of money. The cricket fans don't seem to be interested, and the performers have to be paid a lot."
Power Player
No clarity on the concept of 'Power Player' for now
Earlier, it was also reported that a major innovation in the form of 'Power Player' was being considered for the tournament, which would involve players being substituted during the match. While a trial for the same was being contemplated for the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, it has been ruled out for now, with no clarity on its implementation in the IPL either, reports PTI.
Author's take
BCCI's decision to revolutionize IPL is ground-breaking
It is no secret that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to revolutionize the IPL in the coming years. It all started with the introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) in 2018, as it looks to introduce further technologies and try out new concepts to make the tournament fan-friendly. Thus, the author terms it as ground-breaking.