Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin sparked controversy by Mankading Rajasthan Royals wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler without giving a proper warning during the fourth match of IPL 2019 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday.
Buttler was going all guns blazing, making a mockery of the 185-run target set by the visitors Kings XI, when Ashwin affected Mankad to stop Buttler on his tracks.
The incident happened in the final ball of the 13th over when Ashwin stopped on his delivery stride seeing Buttler backing up too much and nonchalantly whipped the bails off at the non-striker’s end. What initially seemed a gesture to caution Buttler to remain in his crease soon turned otherwise when the off-spinner appealed and the on-field umpires had no choice but to refer it upstairs.
Replays confirmed that Buttler was out of his crease when the bails were taken off and he was naturally given out. The England keeper was not amused by the ‘unsportsmanlike’ attitude of Ashwin and was furious while walking back for 69 off 43 balls.
In between all this, Buttler tried to speak with Ashwin but the senior Indian off-spinner replied aggressively by saying, “you are not in the crease and you've been upsetting my rhythm.”
This was the first instance of Mankad in the history of IPL.
According to the new rules of cricket, into effect since October 2017, bowlers at all levels of cricket are able to run-out the non-striker up to the instant at which they "would be expected to deliver the ball". Previously, the law stated, ‘a bowler can run out a non-striker before he bowls the ball.’
Ashwin’s action received widespread criticism on social media with the likes of Mohammad Kaif, Eoin Morgan and Dale Steyn slamming him for his gesture.
The dismissal, named after India's Vinoo Mankad who ran out Australia's Bill Brown in 1947 after he'd had backed up too far at the non-striker's end, is a hot-button issue for cricket fans.