Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje from Kolkata Knight Riders stirred controversy in the IPL after their bats failed the standard size check known as the ‘gauge test.’
The incident took place on Tuesday in Mullanpur ahead of KKR’s run chase against Punjab Kings. As part of the protocol, reserve umpire Saiyed Khalid measured the bats of a few KKR batters on the sidelines.
It was then discovered that Narine’s bat did not meet the required thickness standards. The West Indian all-rounder was seen discussing the matter with umpire Khalid, while his teammate Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s bat passed the test without issues.
Earlier in the match, Narine impressed with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 14 runs in 3 overs as KKR bowled Punjab out for just 111. However, his batting didn’t match his bowling impact — he scored only 5 runs off 4 balls.
Despite the low target, Punjab Kings pulled off a remarkable win by 16 runs, bundling out the defending champions for just 95. Raghuvanshi top-scored for KKR with 37 runs. From a solid 62 for 2, KKR’s batting collapsed dramatically.
At the fall of the ninth wicket, Nortje walked out to bat, only to have his bat measured on the field by on-field umpires Mohit Krishnadas and Saidharshan Kumar just before the 16th over. The game was paused for a brief moment as Rahmanullah Gurbaz brought out multiple bats for Nortje to choose from. Eventually, Nortje selected a bat that passed the ‘gauge test.’
Unfortunately, the bat swap didn’t help. On the very first ball of the 16th over, Andre Russell was bowled by Marco Jansen, sealing a dramatic win for Punjab.
Previously, bat size inspections were usually done inside the dressing room. But in recent IPL games — including Rajasthan Royals vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals vs. Mumbai Indians — umpires have begun conducting these checks on the field.
According to ICC regulations, the bat’s face must not be wider than 10.79 cm, the edge no thicker than 4 cm, and the spine no more than 6.7 cm. The total length should not exceed 96.4 cm.
