Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje’s bats failed the gauge test during their 16-run loss to Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Tuesday.
The trio were forced to change their bats. Narine’s bat was checked before KKR’s chase, while Russell and Nortje’s were checked when they walked out in the 11th and 15th overs, respectively.
“Umpires have a new toy. Batters coming in with their 2nd choice bats…Check the scores… haha,” Dale Steyn tweeted after the match.
Prior to this edition, bats were checked on match-eve.
A triangle plastic gauge has the dimensions of a bat printed on it: depth 2.68 inches, width 4.33 inches, edges 1.61 inches. The curve, or the bulge of the bat, needs to be within 0.20 inches.
The fourth umpire will check the openers’ bats before they take the field this
IPL, while every subsequent batter has to clear the “bat gauge” wielded by the on-field umpires.
