What Are 'Bunny-Hop' Catches Banned By ICC and MCC? What Is Legal Now?- Explained

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Cricket's laws around boundary catches are undergoing a major shift, with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirming a crucial update that will outlaw a controversial catching technique widely known as the 'bunny-hop' catch.

This amendment, reported by ESPNcricinfo, will be officially written into the ICC's playing conditions next week and formally come into effect across all levels of the game starting October 2026.

What Is a 'Bunny-Hop' Catch?

In recent years, some boundary fielders have taken spectacular catches by leaping from beyond the boundary rope, touching the ball mid-air, and sometimes palming it back into the field or towards another teammate without landing inside the field of play. These acrobatic displays, though legal under the existing rules, have sparked debate for appearing "unfair" or against the spirit of the game to many fans and experts.

Under current law, a catch was only considered invalid if the player was touching the ground and the ball simultaneously while outside the boundary. However, airborne players jumping from beyond the ropes could still legally deflect or catch the ball if they hadn't landed inside first. This is what the new law aims to change.

What the New Law Says

The updated law redefines how a fielder is considered "grounded." The MCC's new wording, which will soon be reflected in Law 19.5.2 of the Laws of Cricket, states:

A fielder who is not in contact with the ground is deemed to be grounded beyond the boundary if their last point of contact with the ground prior to touching the ball was not completely within the boundary.

This means that if a fielder jumps from outside the boundary and touches the ball while airborne, the catch will only be legal if they eventually land fully inside the boundary. If they remain outside at any point after that touch, even without the ball in hand, a boundary will be awarded.

What Is Still Allowed?

The new rule still permits fielders to perform athletic plays as long as the initial contact with the ball is made after jumping from inside the boundary. For example, a fielder can leap, push the ball up before stepping out due to momentum, and then return to the field to complete the catch or assist in a relay.

Here's how it breaks down with the two new sub-clauses:

• 19.5.2.1: If the fielder first touches the ball while legally inside the field, they may jump outside the boundary and still make contact mid-air. But every landing afterward must be inside the boundary, or it will be ruled a boundary.

• 19.5.2.2: If a player throws or deflects the ball back into the field after jumping from beyond the rope, they must return and stay within the playing area until the ball is dead. Otherwise, it results in a boundary.

Why the Change?

The MCC clarified that the alteration was made to avoid situations that appear visually strange or controversial to viewers and align better with the game's natural fairness. Some catches executed wholly outside the boundary looked unfair and inconsistent with cricket's spirit as per the committee noted.

With this move, cricket's lawmakers are looking to balance athletic brilliance with a clear sense of fairness, ensuring that fielding efforts remain impressive yet grounded-quite literally-in the rules of the game.

Visual Representation Of What Is Allowed And What Not

Under the new rule, this Harleen Deol's superb catch against England remains valid, as she initially leapt to flick the ball upward while still inside the boundary, stepped out due to momentum, and then re-entered the field with a dive to complete the catch. Here's a look at the effort.

If a fielder takes off from beyond the boundary and makes contact with the ball while still in the air, the catch will only count if they land entirely within the field of play afterward. In the second video, since Michael Neser stayed outside the boundary after touching the ball-even though he wasn't holding it-a six would be awarded under the updated rule.

So from now onwards the players will have to keep these rules in mind, while attempting for an acrobatic catch on the boundary line.