IPL 2018: All you need to know about the changes drafted in this season

The Indian Premier League (IPL) will enter in its new decade in next few hours when Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will lock horns at Wankhede Stadium. This is the much awaited season so far in the history as it saw the record-breaking auction in which more than 500 players went under the hammer. All the eight franchises have overhauled their respective along with the retention of few of their core players. However, this season will also see a lot of changes being drafted in by the IPL governing council.

Star India bagged the broadcast rights of the tournament last year and they shelled a whopping amount of Rs 16347.50 Crores for the same. They have roped in a lot of legendary former cricketers in order to analyse the game during the Indian T20 extravaganza and are set to make the event a huge one. Even Doordarshan will be telecasting one match per week and the playoffs including final on DD Sports albeit one hour late.

Here we bring you the details of the changes for this season:

1. Mid-season transfers

The most interesting change is the concept of mid-season transfers which has been introduced this year in the IPL. There will be a short five-day transfer window open for the teams to trade off the uncapped players. Interestingly, the players who haven’t played more than two matches till the halfway stage of the tournament can also switch the teams this year. This change will be implemented for the first time in the IPL and it will be interesting to see the way things will go for the teams.

2. Decision Review System (DRS)

The much-needed change in a world-class tournament like IPL where the players from all the countries (except Pakistan) take part. Last year, many had criticised the Governing Council for not including the DRS following some of the blunders made by the on-field umpires. Also, it will take some pressure off the umpires during the close matches. There will be one unsuccessful review available per innings for every team from this season.

3. Virtual Reality

Star India is leaving no stone unturned in making this year’s IPL a mega event. They have introduced virtual reality in the IPL for the fans who will watch the matches online on Hotstar, the online streaming giant. The cricket enthusiasts will need to get the VR glasses and use them on the VR enabled mobile devices to feel the awesome experience like they are sitting in the Stadium itself.

In another option, they will also be able to pause the match in the application at any given time to swipe/tilt the screen to get the 360-degree view of the Stadium.

4. Change of signal for Strategic Time-out

With the introduction of Decision Review System, the umpires have been informed that the signal for strategic time out will change. Earlier, it was the T-signal which used to inform the crowd and the teams that it is the time-out during which the teams reassess their strategies for the game. But DRS has taken over that signal now and the umpires will raise their hands and point it towards their wristwatch to start the strategic time out now.

Here’s our video of the day:

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