MCC brings major change in boundary line catching: What is it & when will it come into effect? What is Bunny Hop catch?

In a major development, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has come up with an update in regards to the boundary line catches and also make the 'bunny hop' illegal in cricket. The updated law will be integrated into the MCC's laws in October 2026 but into the ICC playing conditions this month. The rule change by the MCC comes in response to the catches that look unfair for cricket audiences.   

According to the new law, the catch will be deemed fair only if the fielder, who is airborne, touches the ball once outside the boundary line, and need to return inside the field of play to complete the catch.

To make it easy for the readers, if the fielder's first touch takes them outside the boundary, their ‘second’ touch must take them back inside the field of play. It means that a fielder will no longer to allowed to keep throwing the ball to yourself outside the boundary for long as they like.

According to an MCC note circulated to member boards by the ICC, while the existing law "led to some spectacular" fielding efforts, it also allowed "some unusual-looking catches that, to the majority of the cricketing public, feel unfair".