'I wish they'd checked the bats when I was playing.'
Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori on Wednesday said umpires checking for the bat sizes with a gauge in the IPL doesn't make any difference and wished the same parameters were in place during his playing days.
Umpires have been checking the bats with a gauge through which the willow must pass in order to eradicate the use of oversized bats.
The checks are being carried out by on-field umpires this season and in the latest instance, in the game against Punjab Kings on Tuesday, Kolkata Knight Riders' Anrich Nortje's bat did not pass the test and he had to change his willow.
"I wish they'd checked the bats when I was playing," Vettori quipped during SRH's press conference here at the Wankhede Stadium.
"No, I don't think it makes any difference. The guys get tested regularly. The umpires go through the dressing rooms a lot of the time, so (the) guys know that their bats are compliant, so it's just a quick one second, and everyone moves on."
"It'll reset anyone trying to have a bigger bat, but it's pretty easy to get your bat through that gauge," he added.
Vettori said this hasn't been a topic of discussion among the SRH batters and added that he doesn't think a reduction in bat size is on the cards.
"Not really. I suppose the way that bats have been able to get bigger without an increase in weight, that's a skill (to be credited) to the bat manufacturers and a demand for what batting groups or batters want these days," he said.
"It's just part of the game, part of the evolution. Everyone seems to enjoy sixes and fours, so I don't think we're going to get a reduction in bat size and it doesn't really worry me," he added.
© 2025 