Best Cricket Bats for Power Hitting: Big Edges and Low Middles

The best cricket bats for power hitting have edges close to the legal 40mm limit, a full spine, and a middle placed where you strike the ball most. The biggest bats we stock, the Kookaburra Glare Max and Big Kahuna, reach 38mm to 40mm edges but weigh 2lb 12oz or more. If you want big edges at a normal weight, the GM Rival Signature, Adidas Incurza Control 4.0 and Gray-Nicolls Neocore 500 all impressed independent testers at 2lb 9oz to 2lb 12oz. This guide covers how big a bat is allowed to be, the power bats we stock, and how to choose between a low and a high middle.

How Big a Bat Can Legally Be

Law 5 of the MCC Laws of Cricket limits the blade to 10.8cm wide and 6.7cm deep, with edges no thicker than 4.0cm, and the bat must pass through a bat gauge. The depth and edge limits arrived with the 2017 Code, which came into force on 1 October 2017. The Laws set no limit on bow. So a power bat is a bat built close to 40mm edges and 67mm of spine, and the question is how much weight it carries to get there.

The Biggest Bats We Stock

Sweet spots are measured from the toe; senior short handle (SH) bats in stock on 2 November 2026. Kookaburra's Glare Max specification calls it "built for boundary clearing", with a 65mm to 67mm spine and a blade 25mm shorter than standard, and gives it and the Big Kahuna a weight band of 2lb 12oz to 3lb. Both have the most wood of any bat we sell, and the weight is the price you pay for it. Our guides to the Kookaburra Stealth and Kookaburra Kahuna cover those families grade by grade.

Big Edges at a Normal Weight

Three bats we stock did well in The Cricketer's 2026 tests with edges of 39mm to 40mm at a weight most club players can swing:

• GM Rival Signature: tested at 2lb 12oz with 40mm edges and scored 8.6. The review called it a low swell shape for boundary hunters and found that "Even shots struck near the sizeable 40-millimetre edges travelled well", though some testers felt it was on the heavy side. We have it at 2lb 10oz for £239.99, and our GM Rival guide covers the other grades.
• Adidas Incurza Control 4.0: tested at 2lb 9oz with 40mm edges and scored 8.5, with one tester giving it a perfect 10. We have it at 2lb 9oz for £249.99.
• Gray-Nicolls Neocore 500: tested at 2lb 9oz with 39mm edges and scored 7.8, with testers noting a large profile for its weight. We have the 2026 bat at £409.99 and the 2025 bat at £299.99, both at 2lb 9oz.

Low Middle or High Middle

A big bat only hits hard if the ball meets the middle. A low middle suits a batter who drives off the front foot on slower, lower pitches; a high middle suits a player who hits on the up or off the back foot on true, bouncy surfaces. Our page on the science of the sweet spot explains why. Power bats with a low middle that we stock:

• Gray-Nicolls Imperia 1.0: Gray-Nicolls describe a low middle for players who dominate on the front foot, with large edges to match the spine. From £309.99 for the 550 grade to £629.99 for the Players Edition, plus the 600 Giant at 2lb 13oz for £409.99. A Wisden tester in 2026 called it a bat "for the strongest man in the village".
• Kookaburra Glare Max and Glare 6.1 Special: the same low 130mm to 170mm middle, at £219.99 for the Max or £244.99 for the 2lb 9oz 6.1 Special with 34mm to 37mm edges.
• New Balance DC 1000 Max: listed in Wisden's 2026 bat test as low swell with large edges, at 2lb 9oz. We have it at 2lb 10oz for £419.99.
• DSC Blak: Wisden's 2025 test listed the Blak Pro as a low-middle bat with massive edges and a heavily bowed face. We stock the Blak 1000, 3000 and 5000 from £169.99, covered in our DSC Blak guide.

For a high middle, the Big Kahuna is the biggest option, and the Gray-Nicolls Havoc is a lighter, mid-high alternative.

Which Power Bat to Buy

1. Strong player, used to a heavy bat: the Glare Max at £219.99 if you drive off the front foot, or the Big Kahuna at £319.99 if you hit on the up.
2. Club hitter who wants big edges without the weight: the Adidas Incurza Control 4.0 at £249.99 or the GM Rival Signature at £239.99.
3. Front-foot driver with a bigger budget: the Gray-Nicolls Imperia 1.0 Pro at £529.99.

Do not buy more weight than you can swing. A bat you cannot swing quickly costs you bat speed, and our page on how bat weight affects bat speed explains how to test it. Every bat on this page is in our cricket bats collection.

FAQs: Cricket Bats for Power Hitting

What is the best cricket bat for power hitting?
One with edges near 40mm, a full spine and a middle where you hit the ball. In The Cricketer's 2026 tests the GM Rival Signature scored 8.6 and the Adidas Incurza Control 4.0 8.5, both with 40mm edges.

What is the maximum edge size on a cricket bat?
4.0cm, about 1.56 inches, under Law 5. The blade can be no more than 10.8cm wide and 6.7cm deep.

Is a low middle or a high middle better for hitting sixes?
It depends where you hit the ball. A low middle suits front-foot driving on low pitches; a high middle suits hitting on the up and off the back foot.

Does a big-edged bat have to be heavy?
Not always. The bats Kookaburra build to the limit weigh 2lb 12oz to 3lb, but the Adidas Incurza Control 4.0 was tested with 40mm edges at 2lb 9oz.

Is there a limit on bat bow?
The Laws do not cap bow. The depth limit of 6.7cm and the bat gauge are the practical limits.