The cricket bat as we know it today only came into existence in the 1770s, when rectangular bats were used for the first time.Then it was in the 1890s that the sapwood of the English Willow came into favour as they made for lighter bats. Then again, gradually over the years, batsmen started using heavier bats and now there is a new cricket bat doing the rounds that is supposed to revolutionise the game. It is called the Mongoose.
The Mongoose is tailor-made for the short format. The basic concept is that in Twenty20, where the need for agression is paramount, you do not need the shoulders/splice area of the bat, which are entirely defensive. So the blade has been shortened and the handle lengthened, and the meat of the bat is constructed to ensure maximum hitting power. Subtleness is not its strong suit. With a five-centimeter thick base that boasts a sweet spot twice the size of that on a traditional bat, even the pace bowler's saving grace - a yorker - can be dispatched to the ropes.
The Mongoose is the brainchild of inventor Marcus Codrington Fernandez, a former creative director at the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. When he was forced out of the office by a stroke, Codrington Fernandez spent a couple of months laid up in bed, dreaming about ways to improve the boring old cricket bat.
His first conclusion was that, in the age of Twenty20 cricket, there is no point in having all that wood around the bat's shoulders. The splice has no offensive capability in any case. So you might as well lengthen the handle, and make the blade shorter and heavier. The average Mongoose has a toe that is about two inches thick, which means that even the perfect yorker can be driven for four. And when you take this rigid chunk of wood effectively and stick it on the end of an equally long handle, it starts to act like a giant golf club.
The Marylebone Cricket Club declared the bat legal and permitted its use in India and worldwide.For the moment, 100 bats in two categories will be launched in India and all of them would be signed by Hayden, according to Fernandez. They are priced at between Rs. 17,000 and Rs. 23,000.

The Mongoose is poised to rewrite record books in the same way that titanium-headed drivers and graphite rackets revolutionised golf and tennis. Because it can be lighter in weight while still offering great power, the Mongoose is ideal for players of all abilities and juniors.
In spite of its radical design, the MCC has confirmed that the patent-pending Mongoose bat is legal and is allowed to be used throughout India and Indian sub-continent all levels of cricket.
For the IPL, Mongoose Cricket is launching two limited edition models of the Mongoose MMi3. The MMi3 super premium is made of pro-grade English willow, only 40 super premium bats will be launched throughout India, each bat will be uniquely numbered from 1-40 and will be hand signed by Hayden.
The MMi3 premium is made of grade one English willow, and a limited range of 60 numbered and hand signed bats by Hayden will be available. The bats will be available at limited retailers throughout the eight cities of the IPL.