The Indian Premier League 2025 has gripped the fans around the country with some adrenaline-rushing games taking place. While the scoring rate has dipped a bit compared to the last season, the batters are still piling up a mountain of runs to butcher the opposition bowling attacks.
Amidst all this, a new visual from the cricket grounds has emerged where the umpires have been seen checking the bat sizes of the batters. This not-so-new visual has baffled cricket fans, wondering whether the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has brought about some changes in the rules.
Visuals have appeared in which umpires have checked the bats of Hardik Pandya, Phil Salt and Shimron Hetmyer. Notably, checking bat sizes is not a new thing in cricket as umpires do the drill when batters submit their willows in the dressing room before their matches.
The BCCI indeed has asked the umpires to carry out bat checks during the matches in IPL 2025. According to a report in the Indian Express, a batter must pass the bat measurement before taking guard in a match. The umpires use the ‘home-shaped bat gauge’ for measuring the willows.
According to the rule books, the bats’ width must not exceed 4.25 inches, while the depth should not be more than 2.64 inches. “The blade of the bat must not exceed the following dimensions: Width: 4.25 in / 10.8 cm, Depth: 2.64 in / 6.7 cm, Edge: 1.56 in / 4.0 cm. Moreover, it must be able to pass through a bat gauge,” the rule states.
Notably, a former umpire also confirmed that the umpires used to check the bats before an innings in the dressing rooms. “We always conducted bat checks in the dressing room before the start of the innings. Players would hand over their bats, and the check would be completed there,” a former umpire told news agency PTI.
“Now the question is: did any player submit one bat for inspection and use a different one on the field? If that’s the case, then this new protocol is certainly justified. Players often carry multiple bats. While the weight may vary, the height, width (face of the bat), depth (middle of the blade), and edge width must remain within the ICC’s prescribed limits,” the umpire added.
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