New Delhi: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi’s attempt to run out Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end during Tuesday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match has sparked conversation over the practice of ‘Mankading’.
On Tuesday, as RCB was chasing a daunting target of 228, Rathi, in the final delivery of the 17th over, spotted Sharma stepping out of his crease early and promptly dislodged the bails. He then signalled his intention to appeal.
Despite replays showing Sharma outside the crease, the third umpire ruled him not out.
Adding to the drama, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant chose to withdraw the appeal, but the third umpire’s decision has remained a hot topic among fans and analysts alike.
DIGVESH RATHI DID MANKAD Vs JITESH SHARMA. pic.twitter.com/Kf5IFvosnM
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) May 27, 2025
According to the official Laws of Cricket, maintained by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), ‘Mankading,’ named after India’s former cricketer Vinoo Mankad, is a valid run-out.
According to cricket rule 38.3.1, the non-striker is considered to have been run out if they leave their ground at any point from the moment the ball comes into play until the bowler releases the ball.
This rule has been in effect since 2022, when the MCC moved it from the unfair play section to the run-out category.
So why was Sharma declared not out?
Here, subsections 38.3.1.1 and 38.3.1.2 come into play. According to the rules, once the bowler’s arm reaches the highest point in their delivery action—the point of expected release, the bowler is no longer allowed to run out the non-striker.
In Digvesh Rathi’s case, his arm had already reached the highest point of his action when he turned back and removed the bails at the non-striker’s end, meaning the attempt didn’t meet the criteria for a valid ‘Mankading,’ which is why the third umpire ruled it not out.
The rules further say that if the ball is not delivered, and an appeal is made, the umpire shall make the decision on the run out. If there is no appeal, or if the decision is not out, the umpire shall call and signal a dead ball as soon as possible.
In this case, the ball shall not count as one in the over.
Ashwin backs Rathi
Former Indian bowler R. Ashwin was not impressed with Pant’s decision to withdraw Rathi’s appeal.
“It is actually a humiliation. What happens is a bowler feels so small that he will never do it [again]. And people will come and say in the comments here that he should not do it. Why? Why should it not be done?” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Wednesday.
He said scaring a bowler like this isn’t right.
“Because nobody really cares about a bowler, so, in front of crores of people, should we withdraw his appeal and insult him?” Ashwin added.
Notably, Ashwin himself was in a similar position in 2012 during a One Day International (ODI) game against Sri Lanka in the 2012 Commonwealth Bank series at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia.
In the 40th over of that match, Ashwin ‘Mankaded’ Sri Lanka’s non-striker Lahiru Thirimanne, after which the umpire asked the then Indian captain Virender Sehwag whether he would reconsider the appeal.
Following the uproar over Ravi Ashwin's IPL 'Mankad', here's a look back at an incident from a 2012 ODI against Sri Lanka at the Gabba pic.twitter.com/IRR528s0ha
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 27, 2019
Sehwag withdrew the appeal saying that the move was “not in the spirit of the game.”
During the 2019 Indian Premier League as well, Ashwin, who was then Kings XI Punjab skipper, drew criticism after ‘mankading’ Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler in the 13th over of an IPL match.
KXIP went on to win the match by 14 runs.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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