Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje faced an unusual hurdle during the IPL 2025 encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur, as their bats failed the official gauge test.
The first incident involved Narine, just before KKR began their chase of PBKS’ modest total of 111. Reserve umpire Saiyed Khalid was seen checking the bats of several KKR batters outside the boundary line. While Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s bat cleared the test without issue, Narine’s bat was deemed too thick to pass through the gauge used for measuring. Narine appeared to have a conversation with Khalid about the matter before taking the field.
Narine, who earlier had an impressive outing with the ball (2 for 14 in 3 overs), managed just 5 runs off 4 balls, including one boundary. Raghuvanshi top-scored for KKR with a composed 37 off 28 balls, but the chase collapsed dramatically after a promising start at 62 for 2.
The second bat-check incident occurred later in the innings when Nortje came out to bat at No. 11. On-field umpires Mohit Krishnadas and Saidharshan Kumar found his bat to be non-compliant at the beginning of the 16th over. The game was briefly halted as substitute Rahmanullah Gurbaz rushed out with alternative bats for Nortje. Though the replacement bat passed the gauge test, Nortje never got to use it, as Andre Russell was bowled the very next ball, ending KKR’s innings.
This marked Nortje’s return to action in IPL 2025 following a back injury sustained during the SA20. He delivered a solid performance with the ball, finishing with 1 for 23 in three overs.
Previously, bat inspections were typically conducted in the dressing room. However, recent matches—including the Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians fixtures—have seen these checks being carried out on the field. According to IPL regulations, the bat face must not exceed 10.79 cm in width, blade thickness must stay within 6.7 cm, and the edge should be no more than 4 cm. The overall length of the bat must not exceed 96.4 cm.
