SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Less than $3 per week View Profile The Explainer Talking Points The Week Recommends Newsletters From the Magazine The Week Junior Food & Drink Personal Finance All Categories Newsletter sign up In The Spotlight Cricket's crackdown on 'monster' bats Indian Premier League has introduced on-pitch checks to ensure bats meet strict size limits Newsletter sign up An umpire checks the dimensions of Riyan Parag's bat during the Rajasthan Royals' IPL match against the Delhi Capitals earlier this month (Image credit: Surjeet Yadav / MB Media / Getty Images) The Week UK 27 April 2025 Those watching this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) are likely to have noticed the umpires brandishing a curious new piece of kit, said Nagraj Gollapudi on ESPN. When each new batter arrives at the crease, he must insert his bat into a "rectangular implement" with a cut-out shaped like a house. The checks, introduced on 13 April, are designed to ensure that all bats conform to a law introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2018, restricting their dimensions. The law limits the thickness of a bat's edges to 4cm, its overall depth to 6.7cm, and its width to 10.8cm. Hitherto, the IPL's checks on bat dimensions were sporadic and took place in dressing rooms before the game. That led to claims that players were submitting one bat for checks and then going out to bat with a heftier blade. The new "live" checks, far more rigorous, have so far snared two illegal bats, both belonging to members of Kolkata Knight Riders. Subscribe to The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. "Bat makers have long striven for innovation," said Simon Wilde in The Sunday Times. Dennis Lillee famously used an aluminium bat in a Test against England in 1979, until Mike Brearley pointed out it was knocking the ball out of shape, and Lillee was forced to substitute it. There have been bats made of bamboo, and bats reinforced with graphite strips. More recently, innovation has centred on adding to the blade's thickness – a development made possible by new moisture-removing techniques, which have enabled manufacturers to add depth to blades without making them impossibly heavy. An "extreme example" was David Warner's Gray-Nicolls Kaboom, whose edges were more than 5cm thick. Such "monster" bats, which can send even mis-hit balls for six, have fuelled concerns that the game was becoming skewed in favour of batters. The 2018 law, and efforts to enforce it, are an attempt to restore a "better balance between bat and ball". Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The Week UK Social Links Navigation Codeword: April 27, 2025 The Week's daily codeword puzzle ByThe Week Staff Crossword: April 27, 2025 The Week's daily crossword ByThe Week Staff Sudoku hard: April 27, 2025 The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle ByThe Week Staff You might also like The Masters: Rory McIlroy finally banishes his demons In the Spotlight McIlroy's grand slam triumph will go down as 'one of the greatest and most courageous victories in the history of golf' ByThe Week UK George Foreman: The boxing champ who reinvented home grills He helped define boxing’s golden era ByThe Week US Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis world In the Spotlight The timing of the suspension handed down to the world's best male tennis player has been met with scepticism ByThe Week UK When 'a kiss is not a kiss': Spanish football on trial Talking Point Luis Rubiales faces up to two-and-a-half years in jail if convicted of sexually assaulting footballer Jenni Hermoso ByThe Week UK Denis Law obituary: fond farewell to 'the King of the Stretford End' In the Spotlight Scottish footballer who was one of Manchester United's 'Holy Trinity' has died aged 84 ByThe Week UK Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League ByThe Week UK Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder ByThe Week UK Dignity in defeat Chicago White Sox players during a baseball game in Detroit, Michigan ByTheunis Bates View More ▸ Contact Future's experts Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Advertise With Us The Week is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street