In an unusual moment during the Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2025 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday (April 13), Shimron Hetmyer faced a rare interruption even before taking strike. Coming in to bat in the 17th over after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal on the final ball of the 16th, Hetmyer was unexpectedly stopped by the on-field umpire for a bat inspection. The officials briefly halted play to verify whether Hetmyer’s bat met the legal dimensions as specified under IPL playing conditions.
As per Law 5.7, the overall length of a bat must not exceed 38 inches (96.52 cm), with a blade width restricted to 4.25 inches (10.8 cm). The maximum depth of the bat is capped at 2.64 inches (6.7 cm), and the edges cannot be more than 1.56 inches (4.0 cm). The bat must also pass through a standard gauge to be considered legal.
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Additionally, any protective covering on the blade must be within 0.04 inches (0.1 cm), and toe protection cannot exceed 0.12 inches (0.3 cm). The handle, importantly, should not exceed 52% of the overall bat length.
Umpire cross verifying the bat criteria of Shimron Hetmyer #IPL2025 #RCBvsRR pic.twitter.com/lJtVn8tUgo
— Cricket Wala News (@official_CWN) April 13, 2025
Fortunately for Hetmyer and Rajasthan Royals, his bat passed the test, and he was allowed to continue his innings without needing a replacement. While IPL rules don’t mention point penalties for such incidents, a change of bat would have been mandatory had it failed the check.
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Interestingly, a similar bat controversy created ripples in the English County Championship last year. Essex were docked 12 points after Feroze Khushi was found using a non-compliant bat during a match against Nottinghamshire. He was batting on 21 when the umpire intervened.
Thankfully, in Jaipur, the drama was short-lived, and Hetmyer could focus on what he does best — finishing strong.
