DRS confirmed for men's and women's Big Bash

The Big Bash League has confirmed the long-awaited introduction of a Decision Review System (DRS) for both the men's and women's competitions for the 2022-23 season.

After international and state border closures scuppered plans to introduce the technology last summer, the league today announced the system will be implemented in all KFC BBL|12 matches and the 24 Weber WBBL|08 matches shown on both Seven and Foxtel, including finals.

The remaining 35 matches WBBL|08 matches, to be broadcast on Foxtel and cricket.com.au, will be produced via live stream technology which does not currently support DRS. 

Big Bash officials said the league would continue to strive towards greater DRS coverage for future WBBL seasons.

The absence of review technology, which had been used in other major domestic T20 competitions like the Indian Premier League and the Hundred as well as leagues in Pakistan, the Caribbean and Bangladesh, had become a major talking point over the past few seasons with its introduction no doubt welcomed by players and match officials alike.

Logistical challenges unique to the Big Bash, such as multiple games played on the same day at different venues, the significant travel involved across the country and that broadcasters Seven and Foxtel use different technology providers, had meant it was difficult to implement the technology during the pandemic, but league boss Alistair Dobson is confident those hurdles had been solved.

"The league is delighted to introduce DRS … in line with the very best cricket competitions in the world," he said.

"Implementing DRS has been a challenging task for the BBL, which is the most logistically complex T20 league in the world. 

"That, plus the impact of the pandemic on travel and movement, have meant the technology has not been possible to introduce until this season."

Each team will get one unsuccessful review per innings with the fielding team captain or batter receiving 15 seconds to call for a review.

As per standard practice, the reviewing team will keep their one unsuccessful review if the decision results in 'Umpire's Call'.

Ultra Edge, commonly referred to a Snicko, and ball-tracking will be the review technology available to the TV match official.

Additional playing condition changes for this season include the Power Surge innovation being extended to the WBBL, while the Bash Boost point and X-Factor substitution have been scrapped after two seasons.

Teams will now revert to naming a standard playing XI, a 12th player and substitute fielders, while competition points will revert to two for a win, one for a tie or abandoned match and zero for a loss.

BBL|12 will also see the introduction of an innings clock with the fielding team required to commence the last over inside 79 minutes (plus allowances) otherwise they will be limited to four fielders instead of five outside the field restriction circle for the remainder of the innings.

The innings clock will not be implemented in WBBL|08.

Dobson said the introduction of the Power Surge to WBBL and the BBL innings clock were "major wins" for fans.

"We retain a clear desire to innovate and drive our leagues forward but are also willing to review decisions that have not realised the intended positive impact, such as the Bash Boost point and X-Factor substitution," he said.

---

What is the Power Surge?

All matches in both competitions will now feature a four-over Powerplay at the beginning of each innings, with a two-over Power Surge to be called by the batting team between overs 11-20. Only two fielders may be outside the field restriction circle during these times.

---

Newly elevated Cricket Australia international panel umpire Phil Gillespie told cricket.com.au in May that umpiring with DRS is what they all wanted.

"I think it's a lot easier for umpires when there's DRS in the game because you can move on from that error quickly when it's been overturned or resolved," he said.

"As umpires, we all support DRS and want it in our competitions, and it makes us better umpires too."

It's a view also shared by players, with Perth Scorchers draftee Laurie Evans saying DRS was becoming the norm on the global T20 circuit.

"This game is moving forward quicker than a lot of people realise and there's a lot on the line for a lot of people and an individual decision can change a career," he said.

"So I think a competition of this magnitude needs to have everything available to it and should be played at the highest level possible so the DRS is one of those things that we're getting used to now as players around the T20 circuit so it's a great decision to have it."

The WBBL season opener between Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers in Mackay on Thursday, October 13 will be the first Big Bash match to have DRS available.

Tickets for Weber WBBL and KFC BBL games are on sale now. Get yours at cricket.com.au/big-bash