Cheating in IPL? Shimron Hetmyer's bat checked by umpire during RR vs RCB clash; Here's why

A rare incident took place when Shimron Hetmyer walked out to bat during the match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday (April 13).

The Rajasthan Royals star Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat in the 17th over after Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood on the final ball of the 16th over. Even before Shimron Hetmyer could take the strike, the umpire decided to check his bat.

Umpire cross verifying the bat criteria of Shimron Hetmyer #IPL2025 #RCBvsRR pic.twitter.com/lJtVn8tUgo

— Cricket Wala News (@official_CWN) April 13, 2025

The on-field official halted the action for a while as he decided to check the bat in order to ensure that its size was within the permissible limits. According to 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."

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

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What if Shimron Hetmyer's bat failed the test?

Fortunately for Rajasthan Royals, Shimron Hetmyer's bat passed the test, and he was allowed to use the same bat for his innings. There is no mention of a point penalty in IPL's playing conditions and the batsman would have been asked to change his bat immediately.

However, Essex had to pay a big price last season for a similar offense. The huge controversy took place during the game between Essex and Nottinghamshire in the English County Championship. Feroze Khushi's bat size was not within the permissible limit. He was batting on 21 when the umpires decided to check his bat. Later, Essex were handed a 12-point penalty.

Rajasthan Royals post competitive total:

Talking about the game, Rajasthan Royals finished their innings on 173/4 in the allotted 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Yashasvi Jaiswal starred with the bat for the hosts, scoring 75 runs.

He and Royals captain Sanju Samson shared a 49-run stand for the first wicket before the latter departed for 15. Jaiswal and Riyan Parag then added 56 runs for the second wicket. Yash Dayal broke the stand between Jaiswal and Parag by dismissing the latter for 30.

Jaiswal, on the other hand, departed in the 16th over. His 75-run knock came off 47 balls and was studded with 10 fours and 2 sixes. Towards the end, Dhruv Jurel scored an unbeaten 35 to help the Royals post a 170-plus total.