A strange incident occurred during the recently ended IPL 2025 clash between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. During RR’s innings, the on-field umpire stopped the play to check Shimron Hetmyer’s bat when the West Indian entered the ground following Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal.
The same situation occurred during RCB’s innings when the umpire stopped the play again to check Phil Salt’s bat. Notably, the umpire checked both Hetmyer’s and Salt’s bat to see the regular specifications to ensure if they are matching with the league’s regulations.
Why umpire checked players' bats in RR vs RCB IPL clash?
Firstly, the umpire checked Shimron Hetmyer’s bat to see if it meets the basic specifications relating to size and weight as per the regulations in Law 5.7 of IPL playing conditions. However, Hetmyer’s bat successfully passed the inspection.
Rules for bat’s size in IPL
According to the rules, the bat should not exceed more than 38 inches i.e. 96.52 cm including the handle. Apart from that, the bat should also be able to pass through a bat gauge according to the specifications. Here are the mandatory blade dimension of the bat in IPL:
Width: 4.25 inches (10.8 cm)
Depth: 2.64 inches (6.7 cm)
Edges: 1.56 inches (4.0 cm)
As per the other specifications,
. The handle should not weigh more than 52% of the total length of the bat.
. Any material covering the blade should also not be more than 0.04 inches (0.1 cm) in thickness.
. The material used to protect the toe of the bat should also not be thicker than 0.12 inches (0.3 cm).
Notably, during the English Country Championship last year, Essex got a 12-point penalty after Keroz Khushi’s bat couldn't meet the basic specifications during a match against Nottinghamshire.
