Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo came under the scanner after he tried to ‘steal’ a run against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Although Chennai won the match by a margin of 45 runs, Bravo was at the receiving end of all the criticisms.

Amid all the discussions about sportsperson spirit, mankading remains one of the most controversial modes of dismissals. In the 2019 edition of IPL, when Ravichandran Ashwin mankaded Jos Buttler in the 2019 season, many fumed and blasted the former for his ‘unsportpersonlike act’. However, the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) match in IPL 2021 on Monday showed why there’s a need for mankading in the game.

Dwayne Bravo slammed for trying to ‘steal’ a run

A picture from Match 13 of IPL 2021 is going viral on social media where Dwayne Bravo can be seen standing at least a yard ahead of the crease while Rajasthan’s Mustafizur Rahman hadn’t even released the ball. The image has left many infuriated. Renowned commentator and broadcaster Harsha Bhogle has slammed Bravo on air during the match. He also backed the need for mankading in a cricket match if this kind of thing continues to occur.

“You cannot be there. He has stolen more than a yard there, Dwayne Bravo,” Bhogle said during commentary. “That is why I believe you’re entirely within your rights — it should almost be mandatory in team meetings — to say, ‘Run him out’. All this talk about not being in the spirit of the game is so much nonsense. He has taken a yard! I never understood how it is in the spirit of the game to run less and claim the run. That is against the spirit of the game,” he added.

Strong from Harsha Bhogle on TV just now.

"Look where Bravo is…. That is why I believe you're entirely within your rights – it should almost be mandatory in team meetings – to say, run him out. All this talk about not being in the spirit of the game is so much nonsense." pic.twitter.com/48G4WNhs82

— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) April 19, 2021

Former Kiwi cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull also echoed Harsha Bhogle’s sentiments and stressed that it was important to runout Dwayne Bravo. How ironic it might sound, the bowler was penalised for over-stepping while the batter got away with his antics.