Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Sunil Narine has a world-renowned reputation of being an explosive hitter of the cricket ball. However, the West Indian had to face embarrassment during the match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Tuesday when he failed the customary bat check. The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council has introduced random bat checks during games to prevent players from gaining an unfair advantage in games. When Narine’s bat was checked as he was preparing to walk out, it was found to be breaching the acceptable limit. 

A video of Narine’s failed bat check has also surfaced on social media, triggering a huge debate of whether the West Indian was battering bowlers until the PBKS match by using an ‘illegal bat’.

Glad Narine is getting pulled up at least while batting. pic.twitter.com/GziclyTc1x

— Sunil (@Hitting_Middle) April 16, 2025

Another player who failed bat check during the PBKS vs KKR match in Mullanpur was tail-ender Anrich Nortje. His bat was checked before he was going out ot bat against Punjab in the final phases of the game. Nortje was informed of the size limit, and was forced to change the bat like Narine.

The bats of some of the KKR batters were checked by reserve umpire Saiyed Khalid outside the playing arena. After being informed that his bat exceeded the acceptable size limit, Narine even had a brief chat with the reserve umpire about the same.

KKR youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi was also present during Narine’s bat check, but he passed the test. 

What Are The Bat Size Rules?

According to the rules set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the width of the bat face should not exceed the limit of 10.79cm. There’s also a check for the thickness of the blade which shouldn’t be more than 6.7cm. The width of the edge of the bat has to be within the 4cm limit while the length of the bat should not be more than 96.4cm.

Since the start of the IPL, bat checks have been carried out at random intervals in several matches. Officials have walked into the players’ dressing rooms to do the mandatory checks. However, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) game and the Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Mumbai Indians (MI) game saw the checks being done on the field, right outside the boudnary rope.