Pakistan, April 17 -- The Indian Premier League (IPL) umpires have tightened bat checks for players this season. During a recent meeting, they decided to conduct gauge tests on all bats before players bat. The fourth umpire will check the openers' bats before they take the field. Meanwhile, on-field umpires will inspect the bats of other incoming players.

This new approach shifts away from the previous method. Earlier, the fourth umpire tested bats in the dressing room a day before matches. This created a loophole for batters to use different bats on match day. The change comes in response to a surge in defaulters this season. Many teams expressed concerns about opponents using bats exceeding the legal size.

Recently, during a match bet...