Cricket Bat Grip Guide: Types, Fitting and Replacement

The grip is the cheapest part of a cricket bat and the part you touch for every ball, which makes it the most cost-effective change you can make to how a bat feels. A new grip costs a few pounds, takes ten minutes to fit with a cone, and can alter the thickness of the handle, the balance of the bat and how hard you have to squeeze. This guide covers the grip types the makers sell, how to choose between them, how to fit one with or without a cone, when to add a second, and how to tell when yours is finished.

What a Grip Does

A grip does three jobs. It gives your hands friction, so you do not have to clamp the handle to stop it turning. It adds cushioning, so the shock of a mishit arrives in your palms as a thud rather than a sting. And it adds a little weight at the very top of the bat, which Gray-Nicolls point out alters the balance and improves the pick-up of a bat that is bottom-heavy. That last effect is why players with big-profile, low-middle bats often run two grips: it is not about the hands at all.

The Laws allow it. Appendix B of Law 5 permits the upper part of the handle to be covered with material solely to provide a surface suitable for gripping, and lets that covering extend a short distance past the top of the splice onto the shoulders, up to 2.75 inches. A grip that runs further down than that is outside the Laws, and it is also a sign that someone has fitted it badly.

Grip Types and How They Feel

Every maker sells a range, and the names vary, but the patterns fall into a handful of families. Kookaburra's UK range alone runs to Players, Chevron, Octopus, Aura, Hexa, Grid, Quilt, Spira, Ribbed, Coil and a clear silicon Concept grip; Gray-Nicolls sell Chevron, Superlink, Traction and others. The feel is what matters:

• Chevron. Rows of V-shaped ridges. Firmer and thinner than most, with a positive bite that suits players who like to feel the handle. The standard grip on a lot of bats out of the box.
• Octopus. Raised dimples all over. Thicker and more cushioned, with the softest feel in the hands. The usual choice for a second grip because it adds the most thickness.
• Scale and dynamic. Alternating ridges and blocks. A middle ground between chevron bite and octopus cushion, and the pattern many makers use on their premium grip.
• Ribbed and wave. Ridges running the length of the handle. Thin and direct, with less cushioning, which some players prefer for feedback.
• Crescent and link patterns. Gray-Nicolls describe their Superlink as an alternating crescent pattern that works with the hands to provide extra friction. Patterns like this and Kookaburra's Hexa and Grid are variations on the same idea: more edges for the hands to catch.
• Clear silicon. A newer option that shows the handle through it and has a tackier feel. Worth a try if you play with sweaty hands or in humidity.

Thickness and density are the two numbers nobody prints but everyone feels. A thicker grip fills the hands and suits players with bigger hands or a loose top-hand style; a thin one keeps the handle close and suits players who roll the wrists. If a grip feels wrong, it is almost always thickness rather than pattern.

How to Choose

1. Start from the problem. Hands sore after a long innings means you want more cushion. Bat twisting on mishits means you want more friction or a thicker handle. Bat feels toe-heavy means you want weight at the top, which is a second grip rather than a different one.
2. Match the thickness to your hands. Hold the handle with your top hand only. If your fingers overlap your thumb comfortably it is right; if they crush into it the handle is too thin for you; if they barely meet it is too thick.
3. Change one thing at a time. Swapping pattern and thickness together tells you nothing. Fit the new grip, use it in two nets, then decide.
4. Practise before you play. Gray-Nicolls' one piece of advice on extra grips is to make sure you practise with them before you go into a match. The bat will pick up differently and your backlift will notice before you do.

Handle shape, round or oval, and whether to have a handle trimmed are separate questions. Our guide to cricket bat handle shapes covers those; this page is about the rubber.

How to Fit a Grip With a Cone

A grip cone is a tapered plastic tube that lets you stretch the grip wide enough to drop over the handle. Gray-Nicolls and Kookaburra both sell one for around £10, and Kookaburra make a combined mallet and cone. It is the only tool you need.

1. Remove the old grip. Work a finger under the top edge and peel it down and off. If it is stuck, a blunt knife under the top edge starts it. Peel off any tape at the bottom.
2. Clean the handle. Wipe off dust, talc and any sticky residue. A grip fitted over grit shows every lump through the rubber.
3. Load the cone. Push the new grip over the narrow end of the cone and work it up until the whole grip sits stretched around the wide end. A little talc inside a tacky grip makes it slide.
4. Position and roll. Stand the bat handle-up, put the wide end of the cone over the top of the handle, and roll the grip off the cone and down the handle. Keep it straight; if it starts to twist, roll it back and go again. Stop short of the splice.
5. Settle it. Smooth out any air with your thumbs from the top down. Tape the bottom edge with a single turn of grip tape if you want it tidy. Leave it an hour before you bat; the rubber relaxes and seats itself.

How to Fit a Grip Without a Cone

Turn the new grip inside out, so the pattern is on the inside, and roll it down from the top like a sock until it is a thick ring. Place the ring over the top of the handle and unroll it downwards; as it unrolls it turns right-side out and tightens onto the handle. It is slower than a cone, and a thick octopus grip fights you, but it works and costs nothing. Rinse any talc off the outside before you bat.

Adding a Second Grip

Gray-Nicolls' position is that all bats come with one grip and that some players like to add a second to thicken the handle and gain a greater sense of control, with the balance benefit for toe-heavy bats mentioned above. Fit the second grip exactly like the first, over the top of the first, and keep it neat: the two should end at the same point and sit without creases. Three grips is a rubber brick, adds noticeable weight at the top and usually means the handle is the wrong shape for you rather than the wrong thickness. No maker publishes a weight per grip, and the figures you see online vary wildly, so judge the effect by pick-up rather than by grams.

When to Replace a Grip

Grips wear out before they look worn. The signs that usually arrive first are in your hands: you find yourself squeezing harder, the bat slips on the push or the pull, your palms are sore after a session, or the bat twists on a mishit it would once have held. Then the visible signs: the texture has flattened, the surface has gone shiny or glazed, the rubber has stretched and turned on the handle, or there are air bubbles and lumps under it. In humid conditions an old grip can go tacky and start to smell. Any of these means a new grip, and at £3 to £6 there is no reason to wait for the next one. Gray-Nicolls include a spare grip in their bat repair kit for exactly this reason. No maker gives a replacement interval, so go by feel; a regular player will usually change a grip at least once a season.

Looking After a Grip

Keep it dry and out of the sun. Wipe sweat off after batting, and never leave the bat in a hot car, because heat is what turns rubber hard and glassy. Do not oil the handle or let bat oil run down onto the grip; oil swells and loosens rubber. If the bottom edge lifts, a single turn of tape fixes it, but a grip that has slid up the handle has stretched and wants replacing rather than taping back down. A grip is part of the kit you check at the end of every season alongside the face sheet and toe guard.

FAQs: Cricket Bat Grips

How many grips should I have on my cricket bat? One is standard. A second thickens the handle, adds cushioning and moves a little weight to the top, which Gray-Nicolls say improves the pick-up of a toe-heavy bat. More than two is rarely a good idea.

How do I put a grip on without a cone? Turn the grip inside out, roll it down into a ring, sit the ring on top of the handle and unroll it downwards. It tightens as it turns right-side out.

Octopus or chevron grip? Octopus is thicker and more cushioned; chevron is thinner with more bite. Pick by how thick you want the handle to feel first and by pattern second.

Why does my grip keep sliding up? It has stretched or the handle was dusty when it was fitted. Replace it, clean the handle first, and tape the bottom edge.

How often should a bat grip be replaced? No maker gives an interval. Replace it when it goes shiny, flat, loose or sticky, or when you notice yourself gripping harder. For a regular player that is usually at least once a season.

Does a double grip add weight? A little, at the top of the handle, which is why it can improve the pick-up of a bottom-heavy bat. No maker publishes a figure.

Sources

Advice on extra grips and balance is from Gray-Nicolls. Grip range names and the cone are from Kookaburra. The permitted extent of a grip is in Appendix B of Law 5, published by the MCC.