The umpire was stunned to see Rahul Tewatia’s illegal bat in the middle of the field, stopped the game and sent him back:

News India Live, Digital Desk: In the match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026, an incident happened which has sparked a new debate in the cricket world. When Gujarat Titans’ finisher Rahul Tewatia came on the field to bat, the umpires stopped him from playing. The reason was his ‘illegal’ bat. After investigation, the official umpires instructed Tewatia to immediately change his bat, due to which the play had to be stopped for a few minutes.

What happened suddenly on the field?

When Rahul Tewatia reached the crease during Gujarat’s innings, umpire Rohan Pandit noticed the lower part (toe) of his bat. The umpire felt something was wrong with the construction of the bat and the sticker or support material on it. The umpire immediately stopped Tewatia and examined the bat. According to the rules, the bat did not meet the standards, after which the fourth umpire had to come to the field with a new bat.

MCC rules and bat width controversy

MCC, the body that makes the rules of cricket Rule 5 According to the ICC, precise measurements are prescribed for the width, depth and edges of the bat.

Bat Width: Maximum 4.25 inches (10.8 cm).

Bat Depth: Maximum 2.64 inches (6.7 cm).

Edge thickness: Maximum 1.56 inches (4.0 cm). According to sources, there was some extra taping or protective layer on Tewatia’s bat which seemed to be more than the prescribed thickness, which could have given unfair advantage while hitting the shot.

Will any action be taken against Tewatiya?

After this drama on the field, Tewatia changed his bat without any protest. However, the technical committee of BCCI and IPL is reviewing the matter. If it is found that the bat was deliberately tampered with, the player may be fined. At present this is being considered a technical mistake.

Fans reaction on social media

The video of this incident is going viral on social media. Cricket fans are associating this with the era of 2003 World Cup when there were rumors of Ricky Ponting having ‘spring’ in his bat. However, in modern cricket, due to sensors and strict checking, such mistakes are caught immediately. Tewatia could not do anything special with the bat in this match, but this ‘bat controversy’ has brought him at the center of discussion.