Bombay IIT graduates come up with innovative bat to aid batsmen; get MCC approval

Falcon Blade Bat – an innovation by Mumbai IIT graduates is now officially approved by MCC

A set of IIT Bombay degree holders assure that with their new innovation – ‘Falcon Blade - The cutting-edge willow', the chances of edges carrying to slip fielders and wicket-keepers will be minimised. Mirik Gogri, one of the four founders of the Humming Whale – a product innovations firm that came up with the creatively designed bat, has said that the bat has been given a go-ahead by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the governing body of the game worldwide, and hence can be made use of in international matches.

The team has made some alterations to the existing ones, which will make them lighter due to the edges being cut down and help in producing more power on the shots as a result of reduced air resistance.

"During our last semester at IIT Bombay, we realised that the shape of the bat is not optimised. We did a few iterations and finally came up with the design for the Eagle bat. Our simulations showed that this bat is faster through the air than the normal bat,” said Gogri.

“Additionally, it gives a downward force to the ball, when an edge is hit, thus potentially not carrying to the fielder.

"Knowing that any change in bat design would require legal approval, we approached the MCC. The MCC sub-law committee discussed the matter in detail and approved the bat design for international use.

“In fact, the MCC committee, on account of our reduction of the width of the face of the bat, is planning to add a new clause to the rules of the game, which defines a minimum width of the face," Gogri was quoted as saying to Hindustan times.

India’s overseas struggles behind their innovation

India’s problems against the moving ball during the England tour in 2011, where they were whitewashed 4-0 with the batting unit not managing to cross 300 even once, gave them the spark to come up with something that could reduce the impact the bowlers can have on helpful surfaces.

Initial Idea (from their official website):

“It was around the time when the Indian Cricket Team started performing miserably on the overseas tours. Edging the ball to the keeper or slip fielders was proving to be the most common form of nemesis for India’s young brigade of batsmen.

Being ardent cricket fans, the continuous losses were frustrating. We decided that rather than sitting and cribbing about it, we would try and use technology to find a solution to the problem. That is when we came up with the idea of a new and improved design for the cricket bat.”

The company is now on the look out for bat sponsors and mass-manufacturers to market their product. Gogri also revealed that their project took nearly a year, as they had to analyse three to four various designs before settling in on the current model.

"Our goal is to see the bat being used in an international match, and also being available for budding and young cricketers.

"We believe that the bat has the potential to change how cricket (with regard to getting caught behind wickets) is being played," stated a hopeful Gogri.

Impresses coaching staff

It is understood that the usage of Falcon bat can cutback air resistance by 2-3% and, in turn, consumes lesser energy. The makers also approached Monty Desai, a member of Rajasthan Royals’ coaching staff, for feedback.

Desai, after analysing their modified version of the bat, showered praise on the attempt: "Having an engineering background, I am impressed by these IIT students. They shared where this thinking came from (Ashes, many dismissals through edges in slips).

"I like the idea of edges reworked with forward and downward component, it does feel that it will reduce the impact of the leading edges carrying to slips and in fact may get directed squarer and with lesser angle,” said Desai.

He thinks that the bats need to be tested at competitive levels to understand their working better.

Desai added: "Aerodynamic design for speed and light weight is something that will add value to batsmen facing fast bowlers. It may improve their back-foot game on quick bouncy wickets. These bats are certainly worth trying.

"I would be very keen to see these bats used by top-grade batsmen (higher division leagues or top junior leagues) in some competitive games to get the real outcome!"