Caribbean Premier League To Become The First League To Use ‘Smart Ball’ For Its Matches

Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will start the usage of ‘smart balls’ for its matches from this season onwards. The ball was brought forth by a sports technology company called Sportcor in collaboration with Kookaburra.

The smart ball is basically what its name suggests, quite different from the traditional ones that are in play currently. It has an electronic chip embedded inside it, which is loaded with sensors that can transmit data.

The information that it returns can be viewed on electronic devices like the smartwatch, tablets, mobile phones, computers, and laptops. To access the data, a specifically designed app for this purpose has been introduced.

With the help of the data, studies can be conducted to determine rising talent at most levels. The stats can also be used in real-time broadcasting, which helps the analysts to put their points across.

The smart ball has been tested before implementation and the results show that it behaves very similar to the traditional ball. The looks are the same and the weight of the ball hasn’t changed despite the chip inside.

Special Features of the Smart Ball

1) Pre-Bounce Speed (km/h) – Speed just before the ball bounces

2) Post-Bounce Speed (km/h) – Speed of the ball just after it bounces

3) Release Spin (RPM) – Revolutions on the ball at the point the bowler releases it

4) Post-Bounce Spin (RPM) – Revolutions after the bounce

5) Power (Watts) – Amount of power/effort the bowler puts into the ball

Sportcor chairman Michael Kasprowicz’s insight into the Smart Ball

Former Australia pacer Michael Kasprowicz, who is the current chairman and co-founder of Sportcor, revealed that the tests were conducted without the knowledge of the players who didn’t find anything odd.

“So we went through it and had it third-party verified. The ball’s been used in a blind test in Australian cricket in a Marsh Cup 50-over match where the balls were used in the match just to have a look and see if there was any reaction from the players. And there was none. So we’ve had everything verified and measured. All we’ve done is replace the cork rubber compound. It’s in the center of the cricket ball. And matched it perfectly,” he stated.

This will be the first instance of the Smart Ball being used in a professional league.

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