The eighth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 will not have the Decision Review System in place.
BPL governing council member secretary Ismail Haider Mallick informed that due to surge of Covid-19 cases worldwide, none of the experts at Hawk Eye, a company that offers DRS services, can visit Bangladesh.
There is also doubt if the technology will be available in Bangladesh’s home series against Afghanistan in February following the BPL.
“We cannot keep the DRS this season. They (technicians) will not be able to travel to Bangladesh in this Covid situation and then their two teams are busy working. Hawk-Eye company is the sole provider of DRS in the world. No one wants to come because of Omicron. We will host Afghanistan after BPL. We have to talk about whether we can include DRS in the series,” said Mallick while speaking to the media.
Speaking further, Mallick said the BPL broadcast will involve around 27 cameras and an improved production quality.
“We will try to improve the production. Every season, 26-27 cameras were used. In BPL, there are more cameras than in a bilateral series. In the past, there have been issues with the graphics. We'll be more careful this time,” said Mallick.
“I hope the overall production level will be good. Without DRS, there will be a big deficit. However, all other technology, such as drones, will be present," the Bangladesh Cricket Board director added.
The six-team special edition of BPL, scheduled to begin this Friday in Mirpur, will mark the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Fortune Barishal, featuring star all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, will take on youthful Chattogram Challengers in the opening game of the season.
