During the Indian Premier League 2025, we have seen umpires checking the bat size of the batters every time they walked in to bat. Most of the time, the ring used to get stuck at the bulge of the bat. But have you ever thought about what the bat looked like in the earliest stage of cricket? Like the sport itself, the bat too has its history of evolution. What looks like a flattened sword now used to look like a hockey stick in the early 1600s. Currently, a normal bat must not exceed 38 inches (96.5 cm), and the maximum width must not exceed 4.25 inches (10.8 cm). However, such rules never used to exist centuries back. Early times (1600s — underarm bowling era) In the early 1600s, at least where there was some documentation of cricket and the sport being played, the bat used to look like a hockey stick. Because the bowling was underarm at that time, the lower curved part of the bat use to have a blade that hit the ball. Normally, the bats were made of a single piece of wood, or branch. Late 1700s – early 1800s: Bats go flatter and wider By that time, the pitch has arrived, and underarm bowling no longer existed. Bowlers had started pitching the ball, which thus required the bats to be flatter. The shape transitioned from a curved stick to a more paddle‑like shape, then to a straight‑faced flat bat. Bounces require a flat face for predictable contact. The new silhouette gave batsmen better control and the ability to play drives and other straight‑on shots. Notably, during 1771, a batsman named Thomas White walked out with a wide bat. The bat was so wide that it covered the stumps totally. That incident became the OG rule trigger, which set the limit to a width of a bat. Mid‑1800s: handles, springs, standardisation and the 38‑inch limit Bats began to include spliced handles (separate from the blade), made of cane or ash, sometimes reinforced with whalebone or rubber springs for shock absorption. Blades were blunter and manufacturers experimented with placing more wood in the middle of the blade to create a better “sweet spot.” Faster bowling (round‑arm then over‑arm) increased breakages and shock to the batsman’s hands. Spliced handles offered better shock absorption and were easier/cheaper to produce than carving entire bats from a single piece. Rules & dates to note 1835 — a bat‑length limit came into parlance (modern law records link this era to regulation efforts). 38 in / 96.52 cm became (and remains) the maximum overall bat length used in laws later codified by MCC. Late 19th-20th centuries: willow and sweet spots With time, the main evolution of the bat was see how to make it lighter yet keep the power intact. Around the 19th the 20th centuries, the bat started looking like what it looks like now. Willow, that is a lighter sapwood, came in the scene as the main material of the bat. The bats had flat front face, thicker spine and edges, refined toe area, cane handle with rubber grips. Weight and pick‑up were balanced to favour stroke play. The sweet spot was that spot of the bat where the ball is likely to hit it. Manufacturers started concentrating the wood in the part, which is often the middle part of the bat. Thusthe bat started looking bulky in the middle giving the conventional convex structure. Late 20th century- scoop bats, shoulderless bats, and controversies Around the 1960s, the bat shoulders vanished as the makers wanted to make the bat feel lighter. As per the manufacturer, the pickup must feel lighter while keeping the power at the lower end of the bat. In the 1970s, famous bat manufacturing company, Gray‑Nicolls and others experimented with removing wood from the centre of the back (the ‘‘scoop’’) to redistribute mass to the edges, enlarging the effective sweet spot. Dennis Lillee and the ComBat controversy, 1979 In the 1979 Ashes, the Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee walked in to bat with his infamous aluminum bat, the ComBat. It was a wide one, looking like almost all wooden bats of his age with dropped shoulders. he bat reportedly made a distinct metallic “clang” rather than the usual wooden “thwack” when it struck the ball. That sound alone caused uproar. The opposing captain (English captain at the time) objected to the use of a metal bat, arguing it was unfair and potentially damaging to the ball. The ball used in international cricket is expensive and can’t be easily replaced, and moreover, fairness demanded uniform bat-ball conditions. Under pressure, Lillee was forced to abandon the metal bat and use a conventional wooden bat. Soon after that, the governing authorities banned the non-wooden bats from all official matches. Rather, it was mandated that the bats should necessarily be made of willow. How modern bats look Modern bats have: wide edges (but within legal limits), deep spines (to increase rebound), and careful profile shaping to balance power and pick‑up. Most have cane handles with multi‑ply grips; some junior bats use reinforced toe or blade covering materials (within the 0.04 in thickness limit). Rules tightening to preserve balance: MCC / Laws of Cricket set specific limits (length, width, depth, edge thickness) and bat must pass bat‑gauge tests. Recent discussions (and even ICC/league articles) have reiterated the need to keep the bat‑ball contest balanced, leading to careful monitoring of depth and edge size. New materials and experiments Bamboo & composite attempts: Innovators have proposed bamboo bats (cheaper, sustainable) — but current top‑level laws require wooden bats; marble of the debate revolves around accessibility vs tradition. Reinforcements & coatings: Some manufacturers offer protective toe ends or low‑thickness coverings — legally limited — to increase durability. MCC / Laws of Cricket Overall length: not more than 38 in / 96.52 cm. Blade width: shall not exceed 4.25 in / 10.8 cm. Blade depth: limits exist (see modern law appendices; MCC’s bat law includes edge and depth figures, bat gauge tests, and categories A–D for junior/other bats). Material: bats must be made of wood. Weight range: typical adult bats range from ~2 lb 7 oz to 3 lb (varies by player preference); heavier bats can exceed this but trade off pick‑up.