MCC scraps ‘Bunny Hop’ boundary catches in major law update

MCC scraps ‘Bunny Hop’ boundary catches in major law update

The MCC has made a significant decision to amend its boundary catch legislation and outlaw the "bunny hop". Later this month, the new regulation will come into effect, making future spectacular captures illegal. This month, the amended law will also be incorporated into the ICC's rules of play, and in October 2026 into the MCC's regulations. According to the new rule, for a catch to be deemed fair, a fielder in the air must return to the field of play after touching the ball past the boundary.

The rule comes after Michael Neser's "bunny hop" catch in BBL 2023. Then Neser caught the ball while fielding near the boundary ropes but started to lose balance. He then tossed the ball up in the air, which went past the boundary, and Neser chased after it. Outside the boundary, Neser once again tossed the ball in the air to send it in the field of play and himself ran to complete the catch. The batter was declared out, and it triggered a debate around the dismissal.

The MCC has changed the law to make catches like this 'bunny hop' one from Michael Neser illegal. In short:If the fielder's first touch takes them outside the boundary, their *second* touch must take them back inside the field of play.Basically, you're no longer allowed to pic.twitter.com/1jaqAev0hy

7Cricket (@7Cricket) June 14, 2025

The fielder's final point of contact with the ground prior to making contact with the ball must fall inside the boundary, as required by Law 19.5.2 (which will be retained in the updated version). Outside the boundary, the fielder is not allowed to contact the ball and the ground simultaneously. It is legal if he or she meets both of those requirements and the catch.

According to reports, the MCC also wrote to the ICC earlier this year, calling for a rule change since certain attempts were unfair and calling Neser's catch "bunny hopped."

The MCC also 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.”

When the next round of ICC modifications take effect in October 2026, the statute will be in force.

Beginning with the new round of modifications in October 2026, the amended law will be applied to the ICC playing conditions in the upcoming WTC cycle, which begins on June 17.