New Delhi, April 15 (NationPress) During the recent IPL 2025 double-header on Sunday, an intriguing event unfolded. On-field umpires utilized a white triangular plastic gauge to examine the bats of Shimron Hetmyer, Phil Salt, and Hardik Pandya during matches in Jaipur and New Delhi.

With the random bat inspections making three appearances in one day, it is anticipated that these checks will become a standard practice for the remainder of the tournament, aimed at ensuring fairness in the games.

To be precise, the International Cricket Council (ICC) established a protocol in 2017 mandating umpires to possess a bat gauge for verifying a bat's legality in international cricket.

According to its Appendix B – Equipment in T20I Playing Conditions document, a legal cricket bat must fit within the gauge dimensions: 2.68 inches in total depth, 4.33 inches in width, and 1.61 inches on the edges. Additionally, the curvature of a legal bat must not exceed 0.20 inches.

Until IPL 2024, bat inspections were conducted by the fourth umpire in collaboration with a franchise’s team manager in the dressing room prior to a game, as batters typically carry five or six bats in their kit bags.

However, with on-field checks occurring during live matches, one might question if oversized bats were previously overlooked by match officials.

Furthermore, IANS has learned that if a fourth umpire is unable to inspect bats before the match due to the distance between team dugouts, on-field umpires will take over the responsibility of checking bat sizes before a batter approaches the crease.

“It’s akin to how we routinely check the ball for its shape during matches, including at the mid-way point, so why not apply the same to bats? This is merely part of our protocol to uphold fairness in the IPL, and the timing is not significant,” remarked an umpire who has officiated in the tournament previously, speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity.

With the IPL and BCCI closely monitoring bat dimensions during live games, a franchise official informed IANS that preventing a batter from using an oversized bat is a reasonable measure. “This is standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the ICC, which umpires are diligently following in the IPL, and it’s nothing extraordinary,” the official stated.

“It adheres to the laws of cricket, and compliance ensures fairness. If a bat fails to fit within the gauge, it cannot be utilized and must be replaced during the game,” the official continued.

It will be interesting to observe if these bat inspections impact the number of boundaries scored in the remaining IPL 2025 matches.