The FOB devices, a GPS-based tracking device, purchased by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from a Chennai-based company for the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) have been found defective with the IPL franchises called it “substandard”.
The FOB devices were given to all the players and support staff to track the movement of the individual player inside the IPL 2021 bio-bubble throughout the tournament – which was postponed on Tuesday (May 4) due to the COVID-19 outbreak across the country.
The device in the form of a wrist band has to be worn by every individual in the bio-bubble at all times. The FOB devices work on Bluetooth and a receiver – a mobile app called ‘bio-bubble’ – and obtained data from the device to track the movement of any individual wearing it.
Following the Coronavirus outbreak at Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings camp, the device has come under severe criticism as franchises are saying “it is not tracking any movement whatsoever” and even it ran out of battery and had to be replaced.
According to Times of India, a member said: “A franchise traveled from one city to another. It asked for the movement data. The company sent the data of the city where the franchise was based before the trip. The FOB did not even register that the franchise had traveled to another city.”
Notably, the BCCI postponed the IPL 14 after several COVID-19 positive cases being reported inside the IPL bio-bubble – including KKR’s Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy as well as some Chennai Super Kings staff members inside the bubble.
