Rajasthan Royals batter Riyan Parag found himself in the middle of an unusual moment during his side's IPL 2025 match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, when he was asked to change his bat after it failed to pass the umpire's gauge test.
The incident unfolded when Parag walked out to bat after RR skipper Sanju Samson was forced to retire hurt due to an injury. As part of the updated playing conditions introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India this season, on-field umpires are now empowered to check whether bats conform to specified size and dimension regulations using a specially designed gauge.
When the umpires conducted the routine check on Parag's bat, it was found to be non-compliant. As a result, he was asked to switch to a different bat before resuming his innings.
Parag, clearly not amused, tried to reason with the umpires. He appeared to explain that the bat had already been inspected earlier and that no changes had been made. During this exchange, the camera cut to Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid. Known for his stoic demeanour, Dravid wore an eerily blank expression — even by his standards. The legendary cricketer didn’t appear pleased, yet managed to maintain a composed, straight face throughout the episode.
The incident sparked a lively discussion in the commentary box. Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann quipped, "Riyan Parag has just about passed the batometre (gauge). A few issues at first but seems to have squeezed in. Everyone is going on here."
His fellow commentator added insight into what Parag might have been saying to the officials, "You know what he's telling the umpire there? You've already checked my bat in the dressing room. Why are you checking it again? And it finally goes through. He plays with the same bat. Players tend to be a bit fussy about their match bats."
This isn’t the first time a player has been asked to swap bats mid-game this season. Kolkata Knight Riders duo Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje also had to change their bats earlier in the tournament after they failed to clear the gauge test.
The new bat-checking regulation was introduced by the BCCI ahead of IPL 2025 in an effort to maintain a fair balance between bat and ball in T20 cricket.
Under this rule, the bats of opening batters are inspected by the fourth umpire before they take the field, while those of subsequent batters are checked by the on-field umpires before the player takes guard.
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