Viewers watching the telecast of the recently concluded
Karnataka Premier League
(
KPL
) 2016 have been in for a visual treat this season as the sight of a batsman taking guard to face a delivery has changed from the usual front-on angle to from the ground-up instead. This is due to the latest viewing technology , called the
pitchcam
, which was used for the first time ever at the tournament.
Featuring in this year's edition of the KPL for the first time, the pitchcam is the first of its kind in the game of cricket. It is a camera, encased in a special case and created from hard glass, which is placed at the edge of the pitch and on the popping crease. The cables connecting the camera are connected to the stump camera. The camera is then placed strategically so as not to disturb the batsman, but still give a clear view of the proceedings.
Hansvir Singh, head of production of the
Karnataka league, says, “The sports broadcast industry has been going through a massive transformation as every day there are new toys that pop up.However, all of them are being driven by ideas by engineers and technocrats without major involvement of creative people.“ It is here that his team put their heads together and first tried using RF video transmitters, which were not practical due to their small size, antennae and lower battery life. “So we figured out that the challenge was how to sort this puzzle, in which video signals can reach the broadcast room without changing batteries and get uninterrupted signals,“ says Hansvir, who adds that this prompted the idea for the pitchcam.
It was then that they had a discussion with the pitch curator for the placement of a camera, being mindful of the health and safety of players as well as making sure they prevented the camera from getting damaged by the ball or shoes spikes. “So we pinned down to pitch line for installing this camera, which was housed in a very strong glass box at an angle that can provide a head-to-toe picture of the batsman and sometimes even include the wicket keeper,“ he says.
When asked about this new technology , commentator and cricket expert
Charu Sharma
says, “The pitcham is a wonderful innovation for the game as it gives an up-close and personal view of the batsman, his stance, shots and his emotions.It can be useful as a good coaching tool as well, as it gives a very good perspective of batsmen's pitch movements, their grip and many such technical aspects. There is no doubt that not only is it good for viewing, but it can go a long way to assist coaches and cricketers.“
Meanwhile, Charu also drew a comparison of the pitchcam to another similar invention of the past, known as the spidercam, and stated that this is better in more than one way . “We have seen players raise concerns about the spidercam earlier, but there are no such issues with the pitchcam. Also, the spidercam can't be used for coaching.Considering that the pitchcam is not very expensive either, I hope it can be used in the
IPL and international matches. It can also be used in other sports like in football in which it can be placed behind the goal keeper,“ he says.
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