IPL 2025: DRS Likely to Use Hawk-Eye & Ball Tracking Technology For Off Side & Height Wide Ball Calls

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The Indian Premier League is likely to witness a new addition from the upcoming edition with regards to extension of technology used in the Decision Review System (DRS) for wide ball challenges.

While players have been allowed to challenge wide ball and no ball calls since the 2023 season, the technology used to check for wide balls has been very limited with the final decision left to the naked eye and interpretation of the onfield or the TV umpire.

ICC law states that a wide ball is judged by the umpire if the ball passes wide of where the striker is standing or has stood at any point after the ball came into play, and would have passed wide of the striker in a normal batting position, adding one run to the batting team and a replacement ball is bowled.

The decision is also made based on the "wide guidelines", the lines drawn as part of the crease and used as visual aids for umpires to determine if a ball is bowled too wide. There have been several instances when a contentious call is made despite replays showing the ball passing under the bat.

For example, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had challenged successfully for a delivery which was not called a wide during a match in IPL 2024. Despite the ball going under the bat, the TV umpire asked the onfield umpire to overturn his decision and signal a wide as the ball bowled by Mohsin Khan was not within the wide guide line.

This call could have been fine if the ball was not within the reach of the batter, but it went right under the bat of Dhoni, leading the onfield umpire to not call it as a wide. However, following the review, the umpire was forced to change his call. This and other calls may have more clarity if more tech is used.

Accoring to a report in PTI, IPL is set to approve the extensive use of DRS for height wides and wides outside the off-stump following on from last year's addition of tech being used for waist-high no balls.

"Hawk eye and ball tracking will be used to decide on the height wides and wides outside the off-stump. The team would be allowed to review if the on-field umpire has given a wide ball for height. If that team thinks it was not high enough for a wide, they can take the DRS," a BCCI official told PTI.