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Both Nortje and Narine’s bats were deemed not legal, after failing to pass the gauge test: one that has recently made a very public appearance in this year’s IPL for all to witness.
KKR’s Sunil Narine (left) and Anrich Nortje (right) having their bats checked by the umpires (X)
Comebacks can be memorable for one and all. But sometimes, it may just be better to forget them as well.
Ask Kolkata Knight Riders’ Anrich Nortje, who would surely love to forget his debut for KKR in IPL 2025, having been subjected to a crushing historic defeat, and to add insult to injury, scrutiny even from the umpires after his bat was checked and initially deemed invalid.
He wasn’t alone though, as prior to Nortje, it was Windies’ all-rounder Sunil Narine, who faced the same judgment during the beginning of KKR’s chase.
Both Nortje and Narine’s bats were deemed not legal, after failing to pass the gauge test, one that has recently made a very public appearance in this year’s IPL for all to witness.
When did the two incidents happen?
Narine’s check occurred when the KKR opener came out to start the chase. Reserve umpire Saiyed Khalid was spotted checking the KKR man’s bat outside the playing arena, alongside KKR’s Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
The thickest part of Narine’s bat failed to pass through the gauge, and hence, was asked to be discarded in place for another legal bat.
Then, following KKR’s disastrous collapse, Nortje came into the crease in the 16th over, making his first appearance for the defending champions this season after being ruled out so far with injury.
But,t the Protean’s bat also seemed to fail the test carried out by the on-field umpires Mohit Krishnadas and Saidharshan Kumar, and hence, substitute Rahmanullah Gurbaz came out carrying spare bats for Nortje to select.
BCCI now does bat checks on the field instead of in the dressing room. So if you’re wondering why umpires are checking bats or noticed Anrich Nortje changing his bat today, it means his bat did not meet the size rules.#IPL2025 #BCCI @IPL @BCCI pic.twitter.com/k3PVWRWO39— Sai (@sai_whispers) April 15, 2025
Unfortunately for the Protean though, he would never get to use his replacement bat, as in the very next ball, PBKS pacer Marco Jansen wrapped up the chase, scalping KKR hard-hitter Andre Russell’s wicket in the batter’s end, thereby bowling KKR out for the historic win.
What exactly are the rules regarding the Gauge Test?
Well, they are rather simple. The official rules state that the width of the bat face should not exceed 10.79cm, the thickness of the blade shouldn’t be more than 6.7cm, and the width of the edge of the bat cannot be more than 4cm. The length of the bat should not exceed 96.4cm.
In yesterday’s instances, it seemed as if both Nortje and Narine’s initial bats didn’t fit the bill and hence, were forced to be changed.
KKR would have also expected their fortunes to change with the same, yet none of that would transpire, as they slumped to an embarrassing 16-run defeat to the Punjab Kings after failing to chase a meager 112 runs: gifting PBKS the record for the lowest total defended in the tournament’s history.
Are bat checks new to the IPL?
The IPL is no stranger to bat checks. In fact, they have been a constant. The only difference has been that, in the past, bat checks were carried out inside the dressing room.
But, on Sunday, during the RR vs RCB and DC vs MI games, the checks were being carried out on the field of play. Yesterday was also added to the list of public checks being done.
