The BCCI does not have funding for DRS in the Ranji Trophy final.
The absence of DRS may have saved Sarfaraz Khan’s life when he survived a close lbw appeal.
BENGALURU: Many are surprised by the absence of a Decision Review System (DRS) in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
When in-form Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan survived a close lbw appeal off MP seamer Gaurav Yadav, it may have given him a ‘life.’ It could have a greater impact on the final’s fate over the next four days.
During the Ranji Trophy semifinals and finals in the 2019-20 season, the BCCI experimented with ‘limited DRS.’ This limited version of DRS lacked Hawk-Eye and UltraEdge, which are critical components of the system in international cricket.
The decision was made after Test star Cheteshwar Pujara was reprieved twice (caught behind) while playing for Saurashtra versus Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy semifinals in the 2018-19 season. As a result, Karnataka lost the game. A BCCI official stated that they believe in their umpires. “Using the DRS is an expensive exercise. The prices skyrocket. What does it matter if there isn’t a DRS in the championship game? It’s past time to put our faith in the umpires. This game is being officiated by India’s two greatest umpires (KN Ananthapadmanabhan and Virender Sharma). What is the end result? If you utilise it in the final, you should also use it in the Ranji Trophy league stage “According to a former India player,
When you consider that the BCCI just made a comfortable Rs 48,390 crore in its new television deal for the next five years of the IPL – where DRS is utilised in all games – the ‘expense’ factor for not employing DRS, which can at least prevent howlers, appears stupid.
“All of the equipment’s rigging (wiring) and derigging will be exceedingly expensive. HawkEye necessitates the use of additional cameras. Ranji completes the task using minimal resources. The counter-argument will be that why not for all televised games? You cannot have a half-baked DRS. It was previously used for limited replays to determine whether or not there is an edge. You can’t use the ball trajectory, which is a vital component of DRS “According to a person familiar with the situation.
