Kolkata Knight Riders star player Sunil Narine's failure in bat check has gone viral on social media. During the match against Punjab Kings, Narine's bat was found violating IPL rules. The incident has sparked a debate on the internet whether Narine used an illegal bat.
Kolkata Knight Riders' star Sunil Narine is not only known for his brilliant spin bowling but also for his explosive batting. However, during the match against Punjab Kings in Chandigarh on Tuesday, Narine faced embarrassment when he failed during the traditional bat check. The IPL Governing Council has introduced random bat checks to prevent players from gaining an unfair advantage during matches. When Narine's bat was examined, it was found that he was violating the permissible limits.
A video of the successful investigation of Narine's bat is also going viral on social media, after which a debate has started among internet users whether the West Indian player was scoring runs against the bowlers using illegal bat in IPL 2025 so far.
During the match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata, another KKR player failed the bat size check. The player was Anrich Nortje who came out to bat against Punjab in the last phase of the match. Nortje was told about it and like Sunil Narine, he was also asked to change his bat.
The bats of the Kolkata players were checked by reserve umpire Syed Khalid. When Narine was told that his bat was out of the permissible limit, he was seen having a brief conversation with the reserve umpire. During the investigation of Narine's bat, KKR young player Angkrish Raghuvanshi's bat was also checked but he passed the test.
As per the rules laid down by the BCCI, the width of the front of the bat should not exceed 10.79 centimeters. The thickness of the blade is also checked, which should not exceed 6.7 centimeters. The width of the edge of the bat should be within 4 centimeters and the length of the bat should not exceed 96.4 centimeters.
The bat has been examined in several matches since the start of IPL 2025. The officials have also conducted mandatory checks in the players' dressing rooms. However, some matches were tested on the field itself.