Mankad Run Out Explained — Legal, Controversial & How It Works

A Mankad dismissal — correctly called a non-striker run out under Law 38.3 of the Laws of Cricket — occurs when the bowler runs out the non-striking batter before releasing the delivery, while the non-striker has left their crease too early. The dismissal is legal. It has been legal throughout cricket's history. But it remains one of cricket's most heated sources of controversy because players and fans often debate whether it is within the spirit of the game.

How a Mankad works

As the bowler runs in to bowl, the non-striking batter — the batter at the bowler's end — should remain in their crease until the ball is released. Some batters back up aggressively, moving down the pitch before the ball is bowled to get a head start on a potential run. If the bowler notices this, they can break the non-striker's wicket with the ball before completing the delivery action. If the non-striker is outside their crease, they are run out.

The name: Vinoo Mankad

The dismissal is named after Vinoo Mankad, the Indian all-rounder who ran out Australian opener Bill Brown twice during India's 1947–48 tour of Australia — first in a tour match and then in the second Test. The dismissals caused immediate controversy, with Australian press criticising Mankad's conduct. Indian and cricket historians have long argued that the criticism was unjust: Mankad warned Brown between the first and second instances, and the dismissal was and is entirely within the Laws. The ICC officially renamed the dismissal 'non-striker run out' in 2023, partly to reduce the negative connotations attached to Mankad's name.

Is a Mankad within the spirit of cricket?

The spirit of cricket argument is the central debate. Traditionalists argue that the convention is for a bowler to warn a non-striker before running them out — giving them a chance to correct their backing-up. Pragmatists argue that gaining an unfair head start through early backing-up is itself against the spirit of cricket, and that the bowler is entitled to enforce the law.

The ICC's 2022 ruling brought some resolution: the Mankad was moved from the 'unfair play' section of the Laws to the 'run out' section, formally codifying it as a standard mode of dismissal with no special warning requirement. The message was clear — the non-striker is responsible for remaining in their crease until the ball is released.

• Legal under Law 38.3 — no warning required after the 2022 ICC Law revision
• Dismissed batter is given out 'run out', not credited as a wicket to the bowler
• Dismissals have occurred in international cricket, Tests, IPL, and women's cricket
• R Ashwin ran out Jos Buttler at the non-striker's end in IPL 2019 — one of the most prominent recent examples
• ICC officially renamed it 'non-striker run out' in 2023 to remove Mankad's name from the controversy