The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 is here and with that comes the familiar summer of high quality T20 matches.
However, the Indian Premier League's 11th season will see some big changes.
Here's the new rules and changes that will come in effect in the IPL 2018:
Decision Review System (DRS)
IPL 2018 will see the use of Decision Review System (DRS) for the first time in the Indian Premier League. BCCI is set to introduce the technology in the 11th edition of the IPL.
The DRS will feature HawkEye created UltraEdge and increased the frame rates per second. In IPL 2018, each team will get one review per innings, and the third umpire will have access to both ball-tracking and Ultra Edge.
Mid-season transfers
IPL 2018 will also see the introduction of the mid-season transfers in the Indian Premier League. For the first time, a short five-day transfer window has been crated on the lines of league football. However, this window would only be open for uncapped players and those who have played no more than two matches till the halfway stage of the tournament. The mid-season transfer rule is also beneficial to the selling franchise because they would be able to recoup some of the cash they doled out in player auctions.
“The transfer will take place between match No 28 to 42 and the transfer window will be open for roughly five days,” according to media reports.
Where to watch on TV
IPL 2018 will see a new home for the cash-rich Indian Premier League broadcast. In September, Star India bagged the 'Global Media Rights' of IPL for a period of five years (2018-2023) for Rs 16,347.50 crore. The previous rights were held by Sony Pictures Network (SPN) since inception in 2008 till 2017. The 'global media rights' include the Indian television, digital as well as the overseas broadcast and digital media rights.
This means the IPL 2018 will be telecast on the Star Sports network. Star Sporrs is set to broadcast the matches with English and Hindi commentary as well as in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bangla on their regional channels.
IPL on Doordarshan
IPL 2018 will also be broadcast on national broadcaster Doordarshan. According to reports, Star India had agree to share feed on 50:50 revenue sharing basis. As per the information with DNA, Star had been pushing for 75:25 revenue sharing model until Thursday, but with I&B ministry not giving the broadcaster the necessary permission for live uplinking of the IPL, there was no other way but to agree to the proposal tabled by the later. As part of the agreement, Star will share the opening match, last four league matches, the play-offs and the final in a delayed feed.
Virtual Reality
IPL 2018 will be available in virtual reality (VR) format on Hotstar, the Star network’s video streaming platform.
“In India, between 600 and 700 million people follow cricket. However, of these, not more than 30 million would have seen a live cricket match in a stadium. We want to enhance the experience for those who can’t make it to the stadiums. Through Hotstar, using technology, we have made the virtual reality option available this year,” said Sanjay Gupta, managing director, Star India.
There are two ways to view the IPL in VR on Hotstar. The first is through VR glasses available in the market. Hotstar’s back-end technology will now include compatibility with VR devices. Another option within the app will be to pause the match at any given time, and swipe/tilt the phone to get a 360-degree view of the ground. Both will be a first for IPL telecast on digital.
