'Bunny Hop' catches to become illegal soon? Check what new MCC law says about boundary catch

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), along with the International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a shocking announcement regarding the game's boundary catch rule. Remember Suryakumar Yadav's spectacular catch during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, with the help of which India managed to clinch the title last year. This new boundary catch type will no longer be allowed and will be deemed illegal if a player tries to catch by jumping from outside the boundary and catching the ball mid-air. Such types of catches have become common in the recent, faster format of the game.

Check out Suryakumar's catch in T20 World Cup 2024

Catch of the Year 2024 :

Surya Kumar Yadav pic.twitter.com/dw8jVQw5vd

— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) December 31, 2024

Another recent example is Dewald Brevis, who took a spectacular catch for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 2025; however, this type of catch will now be termed illegal. The new rule applies to the fielder whether he/she catches the ball, taps it to his/her teammate, or throws it back into the field.

Why did MCC change the law?

The MCC has stated, ''MCC has devised a new wording where the ‘bunny hop’ wholly beyond the boundary is removed, but these catches where the fielder pushes the ball up from inside the boundary, steps outside and then dives back in to catch the ball, are permitted.''

''Our solution has been to limit any fielder who has gone outside the boundary to touching the ball while airborne only once, and then, having done so, to be wholly grounded within the boundary for the rest of the duration of that delivery,'' MCC added.