LSG spinner Digvesh Rathi attempted a 'Mankad' against RCB on Tuesday (May 27), only for it to be ruled not out. But did the umpires make an error?
Digvesh Rathi attempts to 'Mankad' Jitesh Sharma
The incident took place off the final ball of the 17th over, during RCB's run chase of 228 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Off the first delivery of that over, Rathi had Jitesh caught, but it ended up being a backfoot no-ball and he conceded a six off the free hit.
With RCB needing 29 runs off 19 balls, and Jitesh in menacing form, Rathi stopped before delivering the final ball of the over, and whipped off the bails at the non-striker's end, with Jitesh clearly out of his ground.
The decision was referred to the third umpire, as is customary, and Ulhas Gandhe ruled not out. Television commentators said that LSG captain Rishabh Pant had withdrawn the appeal, but that was not the reason Jitesh was given not out.
Match 70, Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
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What do the Laws say?
According to section 38.3.1 of the IPL 2025 Playing Conditions, “If the non-striker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be Run out by the bowler attempting to run him/her out.
“In these circumstances, the non-striker will be out Run out if he/she is out of his/her ground when his/her wicket is broken by the bowler throwing the ball at the wicket or by the bowler’s hand holding the ball, whether or not the ball is subsequently delivered.”
According to the MCC's Laws of Cricket (section 38.3.1.1), “The instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball is defined as the moment the bowler’s arm reaches the highest point of his/her normal bowling action in the delivery swing.”
Did the third umpire make the wrong call in ruling Jitesh not out?
In the process of reviewing the incident, the third umpire was heard saying, “The bowler has passed his delivery stride in his popping crease,” before giving a decision of not out. However, neither the IPL Playing Conditions, nor the MCC Laws, mention the bowler's delivery stride or popping crease as having any bearing on the legality of a run out attempt of this kind.
In fact, the only condition to be fulfilled is that the bowler must attempt affecting a run out before their arm “reaches the highest point of his/her normal bowling action in the delivery swing.”
Rathi clearly did not reach the highest point in his delivery swing, therefore, making his run out attempt legal. However, in this case, even if the third umpire had given Jitesh out, it would have been immaterial thanks to Pant withdrawing the appeal (as he is entitled to do).
Former international umpire Anil Chaudhary broke down the run out attempt and concluded that he felt Jitesh was out: "It's his (TV umpire Gandhe) opinion, but I felt he (Jitesh) was out. It's a separate issue that Rishabh Pant withdrew the appeal, but according to the law, he (Rathi) removed the bails before reaching the release point, like you would have seen Ashwin do 2-3 years back. So I felt it was out, but we respect the opinion of the TV umpire."
As it happened, the stand-in RCB captain was the star of the show on the night, as he slammed eight fours and six sixes on his way to an unbeaten 85 off 33 balls, helping RCB chase down 228 with eight balls to spare, and qualify for the playoffs in one of the top two spots in the league table.
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