Two KKR batsmen fail the new bat gauge test following the new rules and regulations put in place this season.
Two KKR batsmen failed the gauge test of their bats in last night’s defeat to the Punjab Kings.
During Tuesday’s IPL 2025 match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur, the bats of Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje failed the gauge test.
The first was the Narine incident. Outside the playing area, reserve umpire Saiyed Khalid checked the bats of a few KKR batters prior to their vain attempt to chase PBKS’ 111. When Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Narine, the KKR opener, stood together, the thickest part of Narine’s bat refused to go through the gauge.
Khalid scrutinised Raghuvanshi’s bat, which passed the test, and it seemed like Narine and Khalid had a conversation about it.
Narine smashed one four in his four-ball five in the chase after earlier returning 2 for 14 in his three overs. With 37 runs off of 28 balls, Raghuvanshi was the top scorer for KKR.
According to TV commentators, Nortje was out to bat as the final man after KKR’s chase deteriorated from a strong 62 for 2 in the eighth over, but the bat he used failed the test conducted by the on-field umpires Saidharshan Kumar and Mohit Krishnadas.
At the beginning of the 16th over of KKR’s innings, the Nortje incident occurred. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, a replacement for Nortje, entered the game with extra bats, and the match was stopped. Andre Russell was bowled right away after the new bat passed the test, thus Nortje was unable to use it.
As he made his eagerly anticipated comeback from the back injury he sustained during the SA20, this was Nortje’s first IPL 2025 match. He returned statistics of 1 for 23 from his three overs with the ball.
Bat checks were previously conducted in the dressing room, but on Sunday, during the Delhi Capitals (DC) vs. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) games, they were conducted on the pitch. The regulations state that the bat face’s width cannot be greater than 10.79 cm, the blade’s thickness cannot be greater than 6.7 cm, and the bat’s edge width cannot be greater than 4 cm. The bat should not be longer than 96.4 cm.