BCCI says this about ‘Bat Check’ debate as KKR’s Sunil Narine is held up for his bat

In the match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals, something happened for the first time. Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje, both playing for the Knight Riders, were stopped from using their bats. This was the first such instance in the IPL.

Narine and Nortje held up

The KKR duo were held up for their bat sizes. Their bats were not found to be adhering to the guidelines of the tournament. Thereafter, they had to change their bats to continue playing. The umpires have been strict in enforcing the guidelines this season. This was not the first instance of bats being checked, either.

IPL governor speaks up

Arun Dhumal, the IPL governor, has come out and issued a statement about the new measures being taken by umpires. He said that it is the ‘way forward’ for the marquee tournament to ensure fairness.

“Nobody should feel that somebody’s got an undue advantage. The BCCI and IPL have always taken all initiatives in this direction so that the fairness of the game is maintained. We have used technology to the maximum to make sure that all decisions can be reviewed so that the games don’t get unfairly affected. The idea behind this initiative is to ensure that the spirit of the game is maintained,” Dhumal told The Indian Express on the matter.

Not the first case

This was not the first case of bats being checked. Bat checks have been in place for a long time. However, the on-field checking procedure is something introduced this season, umpires are randomly checking the bat sizes of some batters. RR batter Shimron Hetmyer and RCB’s Phil Salt faced the same a few days back.

Guidelines

As per Law 5.7 of the IPL playing conditions, bats are required to adhere strictly to specified size regulations. Accordingly, a bat, including the handle, must not be more than 38 inches (96.52 cm) in total length.

The width of the bat should be 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) at the most, with the depth capped at 2.64 inches (6.7 cm). Edges are not allowed to exceed 1.56 inches (4.0 cm). Moreover, the handle must constitute no more than 52% of the bat’s total length.

Covering materials used on the bat must be within 0.04 inches (0.1 cm). Any toe protection used must not exceed 0.12 inches (0.3 cm) in thickness. Furthermore, the bat should cleanly pass through the official bat gauge.

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