Kolkata Knight Riders opener Sunil Narine and fast bowler Anrich Nortje failed the bat size test during their shock defeat to Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 15. According to ESPNcricinfo, both Narine and Nortje were required to change their bats before taking strike in the middle. The Kolkata Knight Riders pair are among the first players to fail the bat size checks in IPL 2025.
While bat size checks were common practice in previous IPL seasons, the BCCI introduced on-field inspections to ensure greater vigilance. As batters often carry multiple bats, it was not always guaranteed that the bat brought onto the field was the one that had passed the mandatory check.
Sunil Narine’s bat was found to be oversized before the start of KKR’s chase, when the West Indies all-rounder was gtearing up to open the innings. He was standing alongside Angkrish Raghuvanshi near the dug-out when the bat size check took place. Narine’s bat was inspected by reserve umpire Sayed Khalid. While Raghuvanshi’s bat passed through the ‘house-shaped’ bat gauge without issue, Narine’s did not fit entirely through the frame.
Narine was asked to change his bat before heading out to open the innings. Unfortunately for KKR, he managed just 5 runs before being bowled by left-arm pacer Marco Jansen in the very first over.
Anrich Nortje’s bat was inspected on the field by the on-field umpires after he walked out to bat in the 16th over of the chase. KKR were struggling at 95 for 9 when Nortje, making his debut for the side, came out with a bat that failed the mandatory size check. He was asked to replace it, and television footage showed substitute fielder Rahmanullah Gurbaz bringing out a compliant bat after Nortje’s original one failed the gauge test.
However, Nortje did not get the opportunity to use the new bat, as he was left stranded at the non-striker’s end when KKR’s final wicket – Andre Russell – fell on the first ball of the 16th over.
In a dramatic collapse, KKR were bowled out for just 95 runs, as Punjab Kings set a new record for the lowest total successfully defended in an IPL match.
