MS Dhoni might have to alter his bat's size due to changed MCC guidelines

New Delhi, July 19: Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have to reconsider using the same bat during the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka for rules are going to be changed from October 1.

As per the new Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) guidelines issued in March this year, the thick edges of the bats, which have thick wood at the bottom, have been limited to 40mm.

MS Dhoni along with big hitters like David Warner, Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle are the ones who play with bats with edges beyond 40mm as of now.

The new guideline, coming into effect from October 1 this year, would therefore force all these explosive batsmen to change their bats.

Australian swashbuckler Warner, Windies hitters Gayle and Pollard have been using 50mm edges bats which helped them maul bowlers all round the park.

Dhoni, on the other hand, uses a bat with 45mm edge. The 36-year-old cricketer also wields the heaviest willow in the business. His bat weighs in between 1250 gm to 1300 gm with a 12-inch sweet spot.

The sweet spot of Dhoni's bat begins from four inches above the bottom of the bat to 16 inches. Bats have more mass at the bottom which gradually reduces as one progresses at the top. The mass of the bat is behind the sweet spot which accounts for the stroke.

Rest of the Indian players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara all use bats with edges less than 40mm. Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson too play with the bats having edges less than or equal to the new guidelines.

Kohli also uses much lighter bat as compared to Dhoni. The Indian skipper's bat weighs around 1160gm which has a sweet spot of around eight inches, starting from six inches above the bottom of the bat to 14 inches.

According to the new guidelines, bats will also be limited to 108mm in width and 67mm in depth, apart from the 40mm edges.

As per a Times of India report, Pollard has already started using the bat and played with the same during IPL 10. The cricketer said sooner or later he'll have to followed the new specifications, therefore it's better using it from now on.

OneIndia News