Key Points
Hawk-Eye to track wide balls with personalized height measurements
Technological innovation removes subjective umpiring challenges
KKR and RCB kick off tournament in historic match
Each player's head height now digitally recorded
The same technology that was used to assess over-the-waist no-balls in IPL 2024 will now be implemented for over-the-head wides. The ball-tracking technology, which includes Hawk-Eye, will evaluate the ball's height as it crosses the batter at the popping crease and compare it to the batter's toe-to-head height in an upright stance.
Each player's head height will be recorded in the database. The subjective factor in determining wides will be eliminated this season, as the IPL has decided that the wide guideline--typically in blue--will shift along with the batter. The Hawk-Eye system will automatically measure both the extent of the batter's movement and the corresponding shift in the guideline.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will begin their title defence in IPL 2025 with a highly anticipated clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the 'OG Derby,' which also kicked off the tournament in its inaugural edition in 2008.
KKR IPL 2025 squad: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Mayank Markande, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Varun Chakaravarthy.
RCB IPL 2025 Squad: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.
