The ICC has decided that now catches taken by jumping in the air outside the boundary line will be said “no more”.
Actually, those great looking “bunny hop” catches, which the fielders used to take by jumping outside the boundary, will now be illegal.
This rule is coming into effect from June 17, 2025, and will also be included in the MCC rules from October 2026 next year.
What is this “Bunny HOP” Catch?
Suppose a fielder catches the ball in the air near the boundary, then jumps out, tosses the ball up, and comes back in and completes the catch.
A similar feat was achieved by Michael Neser in the BBL in 2023, when he took such a catch to dismiss Jordan Silk.
Or that brilliant catch of Tom Banton in 2020, which was taken with the help of Matt Renshaw. But now all this has been “banned”!
ICC and MCC say that these catches look amazing, but many cricket fans find them “unfair”. MCC said that the fielder cannot jump outside the boundary and touch the ball again and again.
Which rule did ICC apply for bunny hop Catch?
The new rule says that if the fielder jumps from outside the boundary and touches the ball, then he will have to land inside the boundary next time. If this does not happen, then it will not be considered a catch but a boundary.
The same rule will apply in relay catches as well. If a fielder stops the ball outside the boundary and does not come back inside, then even if his partner catches the catch, it will still be counted as a boundary.
That is, the fielder will get only one chance to touch the ball outside the boundary. After that he will have to stay inside.
This rule will make cricket more exciting, because now the fielders will have to play more smartly. This rule will come into effect from the World Test Championship match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to be held in Galle from June 17.
