IPL 2019: Reconsidering LED Bails in Cricket

This IPL has been one of the most controversial tournaments so far. Some of the incidents have raised eyebrows all over the world and require to be discussed in the near future by the cricketing fraternity. One such controversy that has not yet received enough attention is the obstruction caused by the LED bails in a cricket match.

In recent times, there have been several instances all over the world where the ball has hit the stumps but the bails have not been dislodged, proving to be crucial turning points in the game. Such instances have continued to occur in IPL 2019. In the match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni's attempt to run the in-form KL Rahul out in the 13th over of the game proved to be unsuccessful, despite the batsman being short of his crease, because the bails were not dislodged.

In the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, Chris Lynn managed to edge the ball back onto his leg stump in the 4th over of the game bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni. However, the bails were not dislodged, and the ball deflected off the stumps to race away for a boundary. Lynn went on to smash a half-century in that game.

Finally, in the match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians, the Snickometer suggested that the first ball faced by Hardik Pandya, off the bowling of Hardus Viljoen, deflected off the leg stump to the boundary, and was ruled by the umpire as five wides.

In the modern T20 game, where the margin of error is so low, such instances potentially lead to a difference in the result of the game. Cricket, ever since its inception, has been favouring the batsmen.

However, the efforts of the bowlers and fielders, especially the scenarios mentioned above, deserve to be rewarded with a wicket. It is time for the cricketing fraternity to look out for its bowlers, and give them the benefit of doubt in certain circumstances rather than punishing them.

LED Bails were first introduced by ex-Australian player, Bronte Eckermann and has been in active use around the world for 4-5 years. While such an attractive innovation certainly increases the engagement of the audience and the excitement around the game, such grand gestures should not be allowed at the cost of obstructing the fairness of the game.

The LED bails are about 40-50 grams heavier than the regular wooden bails used earlier. Such a significant difference in the weight could possibly lead to the concerned difficulty in dislodging the bails. Further, these bails are very expensive compared to the regular wooden bails, and require higher levels of maintenance, and cannot be uprooted as stumps used to earlier.

In reality, the rationale behind the introduction of LED bails was to aid the umpires in upholding the fairness of the game. These bails are extremely accurate and light up when both its ends are off the stumps, helping the umpires during close calls such as run-outs and stumpings.

Most of these decisions, especially related to stumpings and run-outs, are not made on-field, they are made by the third umpire. The lighting up of the bails does help the third umpire in his decision-making, and provides clarity in close calls. However,

I believe that the technology used by the third umpire, as of today, should be able to produce the right decisions even without the help of the accuracy of the LED bails. Further, such technology is always evolving. Hence, in such circumstances, even though the LED bails provide aid to the umpires, since they also obstruct the game, the innovation is not welcome to that extent.

Such an issue requires to be deliberated by the cricketing fraternity, and additional research needs to be conducted as to why such instances occur and how they could be rectified. The rule should be relaxed to make it more favourable for the fielding team, or traditional wooden bails should replace the LED bails in cricket matches.

Gone are the days of the iconic celebrations of picking wickets up to celebrate a win. Maybe it is time to bring back wooden stumps and bails, after all, the fairness of a cricket match should be prioritized over the levels of excitement it produces.