What is Mankading?

What is Mankading?

• The term ‘Mankading’ is derived from the name of legendary former Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad. 

• Mankading’ is a method of run out where a bowler dismisses a non-striker by hitting the bails before bowling when the latter is outside the crease. 
• Though this is a legally permissible dismissal, it is considered against the spirit of the game.
• In 1947, during a series in Australia, Mankad had dismissed opposition batsman Bill Brown twice by clipping the bails at the non-striker’s end before bowling the ball. 
• While Mankad found himself at the end of significant criticism for it he received support from then Australian captain Sir Don Bradman.
• Similar incidents of Mankading were observed in India-Srilanka ODI of 2012, Srilanka-England ODI of 2014 and most recently in an IPL match between Kings XI Punjab(Ashwin) & Rajasthan Royals(2019).
• The Laws of Cricket 41.16 states that a “Non-striker leaving his/her ground early: If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out. Whether the attempt is successful or not, the ball shall not count as one in the over.”
• The law also states that if the bowler fails in an attempt to run out the non-striker, the umpire shall call and signal Dead ball as soon as possible.
• Mankading is no longer an illegitimate dismissal as the MCC has reframed the “unfair play” to a “runout”. 
• In the change that has been brought by the MCC, the mankading which was treated as an unfair mode of dismissal but it has now been moved to Law 38, which concerns run-outs, but the wording of the law remains the same.