Delhi : Imagine, the batsman played a shot very high in the air and the ball started moving rapidly towards the fielder. The fielder tried his best to catch it, but seeing the ball leaving his hand, he took off his cap and stopped or caught the ball with it. This may look like brilliant fielding, but according to the rules of cricket, such an action can prove costly for his team. According to Law 28 of the Marylebone Cricket Club, a fielder may stop the ball with any part of his body, but if he deliberately uses his cap, clothing or any other object, it will be considered illegal fielding. In such a situation the umpire will immediately declare the ball dead, the batsman will not be given out and the batting team will get five penalty runs.

If the batsman has scored some runs before this illegal fielding, then depending on the circumstances, those runs can also be added to the batting team's account. However, it is important to understand an interesting difference here. Every time the ball makes contact with the cap or clothing is not considered illegal fielding. If any part of the fielder's cap or clothing inadvertently falls off and the ball hits him, five penalty runs will not be awarded on this ground alone. That is, intentionally stopping the ball using a cap and accidentally hitting the ball with a fallen cap—both are completely different situations.

Regarding catches, Law 33 states that a fair catch requires the fielder to have complete control of the ball. In some circumstances, the ball inadvertently becoming entangled in the fielder's clothing may also be considered a valid catch. But if the fielder catches or blocks the ball with the cap in his hand, he is fielding the ball with a different object than his body, so the attempt becomes illegal. The definition in the rules also makes it clear that clothing or equipment held by a fielder is not considered part of his body. Therefore, even a seemingly spectacular catch from the cap on the field can give the batting team five extra runs and have a major impact on the outcome of the match.