At first of this IPL season, South African quick bowler Kagiso Rabada echoed a key concern voiced by many in regards to the lack of steadiness between bat and ball in T20 cricket. With groups pushing to cross the 300-run mark, he mentioned that if the development continued, the sport needs to be known as “batting” not “cricket”.
The BCCI is now transferring to strike a steadiness.
Going forward, each IPL batsman should go the bat by way of a gauge earlier than taking guard. Whereas the fourth umpire will examine the bats of openers earlier than they enter the sector, each subsequent batsman should clear the “bat gauge” wielded by on-field umpires.
The transfer comes after a number of circumstances of batsmen utilizing “outsized” bats got here to mild. Within the IPL, such batsmen have been let off with warnings however on the English county circuit, Nottinghamshire was docked factors final 12 months in a single such case.
Chatting with The Indian Specific, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal mentioned the choice was taken to make sure equity on the sector. “No person ought to really feel that anyone’s obtained an undue benefit,” he mentioned.
“The BCCI and IPL have at all times taken all initiatives on this route in order that equity of the sport is maintained. We now have used know-how to the utmost to be sure that all selections will be reviewed in order that the video games don’t get unfairly affected. The concept behind this initiative is to make sure that the spirit of the sport is maintained,” Dhumal mentioned.
The triangle-shaped plastic gauge has the size of a authorized bat printed on it: depth 2.68 inches, width 4.33 inches, edges 1.61 inches. The curve, or the bulge of the bat, seen on the decrease non-hitting facet of the bat, must be inside 0.20 inches.
Earlier than this season, bats weren’t examined on match days; officers would conduct assessments on the eve of the sport. However this technique had an apparent loophole: some batsmen would flip up for the sport with totally different bats.
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In accordance with IPL insiders, T20 batsmen who bend guidelines typically tweak the “bat bulge” to their benefit, making the so-called “candy spot” sweeter with out rising the authorized weight.
“They bulk up the decrease a part of the bat since that’s the space of the bat the place the batsmen attempt to make contact with the ball. Extra wooden across the ‘candy spot’ and fewer wooden near the deal with offers extra energy to strokes,” mentioned a global batsman who has performed with outsized bats.
The less-cautious batsmen, identified for hitting sixes from the primary ball, desire bats with thicker edges. Because of this even the balls they mistime typically sail over the boundary. However now with stricter scrutiny on the sector within the public eye, officers hope no batsman would knowingly stroll out with an outsized unlawful bat.
Bat producers have additionally welcomed the BCCI transfer and promised to be “extra stringent”.
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Chatting with The Indian Specific, Paras Anand, CEO, Sanspareils Greenlands Pvt Ltd, mentioned, “Bats made by SG undergo the bat gauge. However as a result of gamers’ bats weren’t being intently scrutinised, we weren’t being one hundred pc explicit about it (bat measurement). Nonetheless, the variation was nearly 1mm, or one-and-a half mm, which doesn’t make an enormous distinction. It’s good that cricket bats of all gamers are being intently checked (by referees and umpires) on the IPL now or else gamers can take the freedom of getting greater bats made.”
Anand mentioned, “We at SG may also be extra stringent about checking our bats. However that mentioned there’s unlikely to be a discount within the variety of sixes being hit as a result of it isn’t simply the dimensions of the bat that could be a issue, however this technology of gamers are stronger, observe energy hitting much more and observe revolutionary shot making.”
