During a weekly review meeting of IPL umpires held last week, it was decided that bats of all batters will undergo a gauge test before they begin their innings. The bats of the openers will be tested by the fourth umpire before they take the field, while the bats of other incoming batters will be checked by the on-field umpires.
IPL 2025
IPL umpires tighten bat checks after spike in defaulters
New protocol replaces pre-match dressing-room checks for bats © BCCI/IPL
This is a significant change from the earlier practice, which involved the fourth umpire testing the bats of players inside the dressing room a day before the match. There was a loophole that could be exploited with such a check, allowing batters to bring in a different bat on match day while having the other bats checked in the gauge test.
The decision mid-way through the tournament was triggered due to a sudden surge in the number of defaulters this season. It is understood that there was also rampant scepticism across teams that some of the opponent batters were using bats bigger than mandated, especially at the meat of the blade.
On Tuesday, during the clash between
