IPL 2018: DRS to make its debut in the tournament

The Decision Review System (DRS) has been a bone of contention among the members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The technology isn’t foolproof which is why the Indian board has refrained from using the technology. The controversy sparked in the 2011 World Cup in India during a contest between India and England at Bangalore when Ian Bell wasn’t adjudged leg before wicket (LBW).

Thereafter, India has been reluctant to use the technology in their games. However, after much speculations, the team resorted to it when England toured India in 2016 for a Test, ODI, and T20I series. Nevertheless, the DRS hasn’t yet been used in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the debated tool is set to make its debut in the 11th edition of the tournament.

DRS in IPL

Rajiv Shukla, the chairman of the IPL, has recently confirmed the use of DRS in 2018 season of the T20 league. The decision to use the tool came after a board meeting in Vishakhapatnam last December. During the meet, the top ten umpires in the domestic circuit were briefed about the technology by Paul Reiffel, the former Australian cricketer and current umpire, and Denis Burns, the ICC umpires’ coach.

The board mistrusted the ball-tracking technology where the path of the ball was far from accurate. However, following HawkEye’s creation UltraEdge and increasing the frames per second, the Indian board has now been convinced by the know-how of the DRS.

Also, the IPL would be the second domestic T20 league in the world to have incorporated the technology after the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The IPL gets underway on April 7 this year with the contest between Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

We bring to you all the latest ‘cricket news‘ and updates on CricTracker