Yes. The Surge is cut from genuine English willow (Salix alba caerulea) clefts, not Kashmir willow. The price is low because we manufacture it ourselves in Meerut and sell direct to the player — there's no distributor margin, no wholesaler margin and no retailer margin in it. The grade is entry level, meaning 4–5 grains and visible natural character on the face, but the timber species and the eight-stage pressing process are identical to our premium bats.

Buy the Surge if you play regular leather ball cricket and want English willow rebound and pickup. Buy premium Kashmir willow if you mostly play tennis ball cricket, play leather ball only occasionally, or the bat will take heavy use on matting and concrete. Kashmir willow is denser and far more forgiving of abuse. English willow rebounds better and takes less effort to hit the ball to the boundary — but it demands proper preparation and care.

Grains are the vertical lines on the face, and each one represents a growing season. Fewer, wider grains mean younger, softer timber. A 4–5 grain cleft takes a little longer to open up than a high-grain cleft, but it's often more durable in the early weeks because softer fibres absorb impact rather than resisting it. Grain count indicates maturity — it is not a direct measure of how well a bat hits, which is why we don't price purely on grains.

Around 6–8 hours of mallet work spread across two to three weeks, then old-ball throw-downs before you face a new leather ball. Because the Surge goes through eight hydraulic press stages before it leaves our facility, the surface fibres are already partly compressed, so your knocking-in is final conditioning rather than the whole job. Oil first — two light coats of raw linseed, 24 hours apart, and none on the splice or handle.

Seven sizes: Size 5, Size 6, Harrow, Short Handle (SH), Long Blade (LB), Long Handle (LH) and Long Blade Long Handle (LBLH) — covering players from roughly age 9 through to tall adults. Choose by height rather than age, and if you're between two sizes take the smaller one. LBLH is the largest size we make and suits players around 6'2" and above who want extra blade length as well as handle length.

Yes — every Surge is built to order. Choose your sweet spot position from the five player profiles, your bat size, and your handle shape (round, oval or semi-oval). You can also note a weight preference in the order notes and we'll hand-pick a matching cleft. Akshat and Utkarsh handle custom orders personally on WhatsApp at +91 95481 82993.

It covers handle failure under normal leather ball cricket use for 12 months from delivery. It does not cover blade damage from mis-hits, damage from wet or waterlogged balls, use in tennis ball cricket, or damage traceable to an incomplete knocking-in process. If something goes wrong, message us on WhatsApp with photos and we'll assess it directly — no retailer in between.

Yes — we ship to 50+ countries including the UK, Australia, USA, UAE, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Shipping within India is free. International rates are calculated at checkout and typical delivery is 8–14 days. For international or team orders, message us on WhatsApp and we'll handle it personally.

The natural next step is the Torrent at ₹12,999 — 5–7 grains and a cleaner face. If you've moved into regular league cricket and want a real jump, the Striker at ₹20,999 is Grade 1 English willow. Every bat in the range shares the same eight press stages and the same 12-month handle warranty — what you buy as you move up is willow quality, not build quality.

The Surge at ₹7,999 is the most affordable genuine English willow bat we make, and one of the lowest prices you will find in India for a hand-made bat that is hydraulically pressed through eight stages and carries a 12-month handle warranty. Be careful comparing it against very cheap bats elsewhere — a lot of what is sold as "English willow" under ₹6,000 is Kashmir willow with an English-willow sticker. Our English willow vs Kashmir willow guide explains how to tell the difference by eye.

Yes — it is the bat we most often recommend to players moving into leather ball cricket for the first time. Entry-grade willow is softer, which means it absorbs mis-hits more forgivingly in the early weeks than a high-grain Player Grade cleft would. It is available from Size 5 upward, so juniors get the same build quality as adults, and because you choose the sweet spot and handle shape it can be set up around a developing technique rather than against it.

Directly from us at cielsports.in. We are a manufacturer in Meerut, not a retailer, so every bat in our English willow cricket bat range ships to you from the workshop that made it. Shipping is free across India with Cash on Delivery available, and we ship to more than 50 countries. If you would rather talk it through before ordering, message Akshat or Utkarsh on WhatsApp — the founders answer personally.

A properly knocked-in and oiled English willow bat used only for leather ball cricket will typically give you two to four seasons of regular club use. Lifespan depends far more on preparation and care than on grade — an un-knocked ₹60,000 bat will fail before a well-prepared ₹7,999 one. The biggest killers are skipping the knocking-in, playing with wet or waterlogged balls, using the bat in tennis ball cricket, and storing it somewhere hot like a car boot.