Live data at matches

Indian Premier League teams are now making some in-game calls with tablets in the dugout, using live data and replay clips while matches are still on. (x.com) The setup sits alongside the league’s existing review technology, not instead of it. The Indian Premier League’s 2025 playing conditions took effect on March 22, 2025, and the season ran 74 matches from March 22 to May 25, 2025. (iplt20.com 1) (iplt20.com 2) In cricket terms, the tablet is a fast decision board: support staff can pull up matchups, recent ball-by-ball patterns and replay angles before relaying a message to players on the field. The clip that prompted the discussion showed staff using the devices for live statistics, replay review and Impact Player decisions during an Indian Premier League game. (x.com) That matters most in the Indian Premier League because teams can still change the shape of a match after the toss. The league’s Governing Council said on September 28, 2024 that the Impact Player regulation would continue through the 2025 to 2027 cycle. (iplt20.com) The rule gives each side a tactical substitute, so a team can swap in a batter or bowler to fit the state of the game. The same September 2024 regulations also said every playing member, including the Impact Player, would receive a match fee of 7.5 lakh rupees. (iplt20.com) The tablet use also fits a wider technology push in the tournament’s officiating. ESPNcricinfo reported that the Smart Replay System, introduced in 2024 and retained for 2025, puts the television umpire in direct contact with two Hawk-Eye operators using eight high-speed cameras. (espncricinfo.com 1) (espncricinfo.com 2) For 2025, the league also expanded ball-tracking beyond waist-high no-balls to help judge off-side wides and head-high wides. That means coaches and analysts are working in a match environment where both team tactics and umpiring decisions are being fed by faster, more granular data. (espncricinfo.com) Not everyone likes where the tactics have gone. Rohit Sharma told ESPNcricinfo in April 2024 that he was “not a fan” of the Impact Player rule because he believed it held back all-rounders, and The Hindu reported ahead of the 2026 season that the rule was again under scrutiny in captains’ discussions. (espncricinfo.com) (thehindu.com) So the tablet in the dugout is not a gimmick on its own. It is one visible part of an Indian Premier League matchday system where analysts, coaches, Hawk-Eye operators and umpires are all working with live information before the next ball is bowled. (x.com) (espncricinfo.com)