Explained: Why Shimron Hetmyer Phil Salt's Bat Was Checked By On-Field Umpire In RR VS RCB IPL 2025 Clash

Shimron Hetmyer and Phil Salt's Bat size was checked by the umpire |courtesy - screengrab (Jio Hotstar)

KEY HIGHLIGHTS Shimron Hetmyer's bat size was checked by the umpire

RR are hosting RCB in their first home match of IPL 2025

Last season, a major controversy erupted in the English County Championship

The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur saw a rare sight as the umpire was spotted checking the bat size of Simron Hetmyer after he walked out to bat on Sunday (April 13).

After the fall of Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket on the last ball of the 16th over, Hetmyer walked out to bat at number five for the Royals and joined Dhruv Jurel in the middle with the home side looking for a quick finish. However, the match saw a brief stoppage as the umpire took out a bat gaudge to check if Hetmyer's bat size was within limits.

Later, the umpire repeated the procedure before RCB's innings with star opening batter Phil Salt.

Why Was Shimron Hetmyer 's Bat Size Checked?

The on-field umpire's decision to check the West Indies' star bat size was to check if it met the rules sanctioned within the playing conditions of the league. As per law 5.7 of IPL's playing conditions -

"The overall length of the bat, when the lower portion of the handle is inserted, shall not be more than 38 in/96.52 cm. than 38 in/96.52 cm.

The blade of the bat shall not exceed the following dimensions:

Width: 4.25in / 10.8 cm

Depth: 2.64in / 6.7 cm

Edges: 1.56in / 4.0cm.

Furthermore, it should also be able to pass through a bat gauge as described in paragraph 1.6 of

The handle shall not exceed 52% of the overall length of the bat.

The material permitted for covering the blade in clause 5.4.1 shall not exceed 0.04 in/0.1 cm in thickness. thickness.

The maximum permitted thickness of protective material placed on the toe of the blade is 0.12 in/0.3 cm," in/0.3 cm,"

What is Shimron Hetmyer's Bat Failed The Test?

Last season, a major controversy erupted in the English County Championship after Essex were handed a 12 point penalty after batter Feroze Khushi failed an on-field bat size check in a match against Nottighamshire. The player was batting at 21 (in 27 balls) when the check happened and he was asked to change his bat. This penalty ended up costing the team a chance to compete for the title against Surrey. Essex ended up finishing fourth in the table, but without the penalty, they would have finished third.

In today's match, Hetmyer's bat passed the test. There is no mention of a point penalty in IPL's playing conditions, and it is likely that the RR star would have just been asked to change his bat in case, his bat did not meet the regulations.

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