Manipur batsman commits a rare cricket 'crime' in a Ranji match

Manipur batter Lamabam Singh found himself at the centre of a rare cricketing moment on Tuesday when he became one of the very few players in Ranji Trophy history to be dismissed for hitting the ball twice.

The unusual incident unfolded during a plate league match against Meghalaya in Surat.

Lamabam had safely defended a delivery from Aryan Bora, but the ball trickled back toward the stumps. Instinctively, he tapped it again with his bat to stop it, only for the umpire to raise his finger. With no complaint, Lamabam quietly walked off, aware of the rule that had caught him out.

What the law says

The dismissal is governed by Law 34.1 of the MCC rulebook. A batter can be given out if they deliberately strike the ball a second time before a fielder touches it unless they are doing so solely to protect their stumps.

In this case, Lamabam’s second tap was deemed intentional and not an attempt strictly to guard his wicket, triggering the rare mode of dismissal.

How rare is it?

This dismissal in cricket is extremely rare. In international cricket, this has happened only once, when Malta’s Fanyan Mughal was ruled out for the same offence against Romania in August 2023.

In Ranji Trophy history, Lamabam’s dismissal is now the fifth of its kind:

Player	Team	Season
K. Bavanna	Andhra	1963–64
Shahid Parvez	Jammu & Kashmir	1986–87
Anand George	Tamil Nadu	1998–99
Dhruv Mahajan	Jammu & Kashmir	2005–06
Lamabam Singh	Manipur	2025–26

The moment also sparked online chatter, including a light-hearted post from Ashwin, who wrote, “Today I got out in gully cricket for the rarest crime ever — hitting the ball twice. First shot: defended. Second shot: panic swipe to save my stumps. Third thing: the entire lane shouting ‘OUTTT!’ louder than a World Cup final. Lamabam Singh was given out for hitting the ball twice in a Ranji Trophy game. It’s out only in gully cricket and not according to the actual laws of the game.”