Umpires check players' bat size on the field during Sunday double-header
In the past, the checks were carried out inside the dressing room but on Sunday they were being carried out on the field of play
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Apr-2025
Umpires Vinod Seshan and Chris Gaffaney check the size of a bat during Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians game • BCCI
An unusual series of events took place during the IPL 2025 matches on April 13, in Jaipur and Delhi. The on-field umpires in both games began checking the dimensions of the bats of batters as they came in, a practice not usually seen on the field this season or previous ones.
During the afternoon game between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Jaipur, the umpires Nitin Menon and Saidharshan Kumar checked the bats of at least Shimron Hetmyer, Nitish Rana and Phil Salt as they walked into bat, among others.
In the evening game between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians in Delhi, Chris Gaffaney and Vinod Seshan checked Hardik Pandya's bat after he came to the middle. All the bats passed the checks.
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The umpires checked the bat using a gauge through which the blade of the bat must pass to be deemed acceptable. In the past, the checks were carried out inside the dressing room but on Sunday it was noticeable that the checks were being carried out on the field of play during the game.
According to the rules, the width of the bat face should not exceed 10.79 cm, the thickness of the blade shouldn't be more than 6.7 cms, and the width of the edge of the bat cannot be more than 4cm. The length of the bat should not exceed 96.4 cm.