In one of the most surprising events of the IPL 2025 match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), some of KKR’s big stars like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Anrich Nortje had their bats fail in the all-new bat size test initiated this season. All this drama occurred when KKR had already gone down by 16 runs in a thriller match of very few runs.
This season, the IPL has taken a new step of introducing a bat gauge test to ensure that all the players use the legal size bats. During the match, almost all the umpires checked the bats of many KKR players, but some failed the test as well.
- Sunil Narine’s bat was checked multiple times and was found to be too big. He had to switch to a legal bat before going out to bat.
- Andre Russell and Anrich Nortje also had similar issues with their bats and had to replace them immediately.
Such checks took place just before or during the match and disturbed the rhythm of the team. Even after restricting PBKS to just a meager total of 111 runs, KKR could not get the advantage. With Ajinkya Rahane and the young Angkrish Raghuvanshi having started well to build a steady partnership, things suddenly fell apart. The team suddenly gets out under pressure and all out for a mere 95 runs.
PBKS’s Yuzvendra Chahal, on his strength with claims for 4-wicket hauls, played an instrumental role in defending the lowest total in the history of IPL. It was a night to forget for KKR between bat test issues and a disappointing chase.
The new bat regulations slapped even the most experienced players in the face, once again reiterating how important it is to stay on top of every rule in this fast-evolving World of Cricket. Well, besides that lost match, KKR has much reflecting to do on their batting side and even at the detail levels before taking those little steps onto the field.
