IPL 2019: Why Ravichandran Ashwin was not wrong to 'Mankad' Jos Buttler

The Indian Premier League and controversy are two things that go hand in hand. The tournament has seen numerous contentious issues over the years. And the first controversy of the IPL 2019 season did not take long.

In the fourth match of the season, Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Jos Buttler by stopping in his delivery stride and catching the non-striker out of his crease. The 'Mankad' has been a topic of heated debate for ever since.

The cricket community is divided at the moment, but various big names such as Shane Warne have publicly criticized Ashwin's act. The off-spinner has also faced a lot of scrutiny and abuse on social media for not adhering to the 'spirit of the game".

The big question on everyone's mind is whether Ashwin was right in what he did. While on the surface his actions look distasteful, was he really wrong?

Rules are rules

The most important thing to know about this incident is that it was completely within the rules. The game's governing principles allow Mankading as a legitimate way to dismiss a batsman.

Section 41.16 of MCC's Cricket laws clearly allows the bowler to dismiss the batsman, if he leaves the crease early. So evidently, what Ashwin did, and the umpire's decision to give Buttler out, were completely legal.

If the games' stakeholders do not like this form of dismissal, the best way to avoid it from happening is to abolish the rule. However, until the regulation exists, any player is within his rights to use it.

It is worth remembering that Buttler has earlier been dismissed in the same way during an international game, against Sri Lanka. Having lost his wicket to a 'Mankad' once before, why are questions not raised of the English wicket-keeper? Why has he not learned his lesson backing up too far?

Spirit of the game

Further, the biggest argument against Ashwin's action is around the 'spirit of the game'. To most cricket followers, his act was against the principles of the gentlemen's game.

While it is easy to see why people feel that way, it is important to note that this is an extremely subjective debate. In reality, every person is bound to have a different impression of what is the correct 'spirit' and what is not.

One can argue that the batsman leaving the crease early is giving him an unfair advantage in trying to get a run. It needs to be asked, why should the batsman be allowed to do that?

A batsman's game

It is well-known that cricket has become a batsman's game over the last few years. Be it the size of boundaries, size of bats, flat pitches or requirement to have fielders outside the circle, everything is in the favor of the batsman these days. Not to forget, they are allowed to hit shots like switch-hits, which is a form of deceiving the bowler.

In such times, is it really wrong to allow the bowlers the ability to 'Mankad', which only curtails the batsman from having another advantage?

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