Mankading: History, Controversy and the 2022 ICC Rule Change
From Vinoo Mankad's original dismissal of Bill Brown in 1947 to Ravichandran Ashwin's controversial IPL dismissal of Jos Buttler, and how the ICC finally legitimised the non-striker run out in 2022.
Few dismissals in cricket generate as much debate as the non-striker run out — colloquially known as 'Mankading'. Named after Indian all-rounder Vinoo Mankad, the method involves the bowler removing the bails at the non-striker's end during the bowling action when the non-striker has left their crease before the ball is delivered. For decades it sat in an ambiguous zone between legality and sportsmanship. In 2022 the ICC formally ended the debate by reclassifying the dismissal as a standard run out, removing it entirely from the 'unfair play' section of the Laws.
Vinoo Mankad and the Origin of the Name
Indian all-rounder Vinoo Mankad first deployed the dismissal in a 1947–48 tour match against Australia, running out Bill Brown of Western Australia as he left his crease early. Mankad warned Brown once before running him out a second time in the same match. The dismissal was within the Laws, but Australian newspapers — and subsequently cricket culture globally — treated it as a breach of sportsmanship and attached Mankad's name to it pejoratively. Notably, Australia's Don Bradman defended Mankad at the time, stating that it was Brown who was at fault for leaving his ground early, not Mankad for acting within the Laws.
Ashwin vs Jos Buttler: IPL 2019
The most high-profile modern Mankading occurred in the 2019 IPL when Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler was run out by Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin. Buttler, batting at 69, was backing up — moving forward from the non-striker's end before Ashwin released the ball. Ashwin whipped off the bails mid-action. The dismissal was legally correct under the Laws in force at the time but was listed under 'unfair play' provisions, creating confusion. Buttler initially appeared not to understand what had happened. Ashwin refused to withdraw the appeal. Rajasthan Royals lost by 14 runs. The incident divided cricket — traditionalists condemned Ashwin; others argued that Buttler had gained unfair ground and the Laws permitted it. Ashwin maintained that he had followed the Laws and had warned batters publicly before the tournament about backing up.
Why the Change Took So Long
The delay in formalising the rule reflected cricket's long-running tension between its written Laws and an unwritten code of conduct known as the 'spirit of cricket'. The MCC's preamble to the Laws describes cricket as a game in which 'respect for your opponents… and the game's traditional values' matters alongside strict legality. For decades, social convention held that a bowler must warn a non-striker before running them out — even though no such warning requirement existed in the Laws. The 2022 change by the MCC (which owns the Laws) and ICC recognised that the convention was creating inconsistency: some batters were being given informal warnings and then continuing to back up aggressively, gaining a genuine advantage. By making it a clean run out, the Laws now give bowlers a clear right to act without any preliminary warning.
How Prevalent Is the Dismissal Now?
Despite the legal clarity, the Mankad remains rare in professional cricket. Since the 2022 rule change, instances have increased at lower levels of the game — particularly in T20 domestic competitions — but international cricketers are cautious about public reaction. The dismissal does occasionally appear in the IPL and BBL, typically when a batter is seen taking extreme ground. Commentators and captains generally view it as a last-resort tactic rather than a routine dismissal method, reflecting the lingering cultural unease even after the legal ambiguity was resolved.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mankading now always legal, and should bowlers use it freely in all formats of cricket?
Since the October 2022 ICC rule change, the non-striker run out is unambiguously legal across all formats — there is no warning requirement, no 'spirit of cricket' qualification, and no distinction based on format. A bowler who removes the bails at the non-striker's end during their delivery action before releasing the ball is executing a legitimate run out under Law 38.3. The umpire gives it out and the fielding team keeps the wicket. Whether bowlers should use it freely is a separate question about strategy and context. In professional T20 cricket, where the non-striker backing up early is common and can add 1–2 metres of running advantage over several balls, the Mankad has become a more credible weapon — particularly in the death overs when a game is tight. Ashwin's IPL 2019 dismissal of Buttler demonstrated that an alert bowler can dismiss a set, dangerous batter this way when nothing else is working. Some T20 captains post-2022 have explicitly included it in their tactical toolkit. In Tests and ODIs, the calculus is different. A batter running out of the non-striker's crease by a few centimetres is not gaining a material advantage in a format where the pitch is used over hours or days, and the reputational cost to the fielding team — in crowd goodwill and media coverage — may outweigh the benefit of a single wicket. Social convention still carries weight even when Law does not require it. The practical guidance: there is no longer any ethical ambiguity in executing the dismissal. A bowler who sees a non-striker backing up significantly and chooses to act is within their rights. The choice is purely tactical — is this wicket valuable enough relative to the situation to warrant the attention it will attract? In a tight T20 finish, yes. As a default first-resort tactic, most coaches and captains would still answer no.