Indian manufacturer ready to launch T20 special bat

New Delhi:

Following the successful debut of Mongoose bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League, domestic sports equipment manufacturer SG is all set to launch a bat in the Indian market tailor-made for Twenty20 version, which has already been endorsed by cricketer Suresh Raina.

The bat, which is yet to be named by the manufacturer, will be introduced in the market before next month's Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.

"We have prepared a bat specially for the 20-over version of cricket and are going to launch it by the end of next month -- before the start of the Twenty20 World Cup. The bat, which has a thicker blade with extra wood, will help batsmen hit the ball hard," Paras Anand, head of Sanspareil Greenlands (SG), said.

Australian Matthew Hayden grabbed the attention of all and sundry by clobbering a match-winning 93 off 43 balls for the Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Daredevils with his innovative Mongoose bat.

The Mongoose bat, used by Hayden is almost 33 per cent shorter in size, but it weighs as much as regular bats.

"Unlike the Mongoose, the new one looks like a traditional bat but due to thicker blade it would be almost 10 per cent heavier. At the same time the bat will help the batsmen hit more powerfully.

"As Twenty20 is a short-duration game, we don't think the batsmen will have any problem to carry the extra weight of the bat during the innings. We have also maintained the balance of the bat properly," Anand said.

Raina, who has already used it in their IPL match against Mumbai Indians on March 25, hoped that the new bat would help him crack some big innings.

"I have used the bat in practise and also played with that in one IPL match for some overs. I would like to hit some big shots with the bat," he said.

"Its all about adjustment. I normally use the light bats, but I did not face much problem to get used to the bat that is a bit bottom heavy. But at the same time the bottom heavy shape helps you hit the ball with more power," he added.

Raina, however, is yet to decide whether he would play with the bat in the forthcoming T20 World Cup.

"This bat can be used successfully on Australian pitches as well as on the sub-continental pitches. We have a number of quality pitches in India where ball comes to the bat nicely. It can be successfully used in the domestic circuit as well," the left-hander said.

"Then the Twenty20 World Cup is coming. I am used to the bat, but lets see what happens," the 23-year-old added.

The weight of the Mongoose bat used by Hayden is taken away from the top of the piece and is redistributed in the remaining half, thus expanding the sweet spot on the blade.

The Indian manufacturer pointed out that they have also expanded the sweet spot on the bat, but with additional mass of wood.

"The sweet spot on the bat is quite expanded which make shot-making easier for the batsmen," Anand said.

SG, who claims to be the first Indian manufacturer to make a special bat for Twenty20 format, is hoping for a good response from cricketers once their product is launched in the market.

"I think, with Twenty20 gaining more and more popularity, everyone will be interested in preparing such variety. We are very hopeful of a good response from the domestic as well as international level cricketers," Anand said.