Even after being fined and penalized time and again by the BCCI, Lucknow Super Giants’ Digvesh Rathi keeps on celebrating his wickets in a unique way during IPL 2025. On Tuesday, the spinner put himself at risk of further action by introducing a new version of his contentious notebook celebration after he bowled out Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KKR, pursuing a difficult total of 239, began with aggression having Narine and Quinton de Kock at the crease. Once de Kock got out for 15 off 9 balls, Narine and skipper Ajinkya Rahane continued to apply pressure on the LSG bowlers, crossing 90/1 in the first 10 overs. As his medium pacers were finding it tough, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant decided to use his ace spinner, Digvesh Rathi, to get the breakthrough.
Digvesh Rathi Does New Version Of Notebook Celebration
Rathi acted swiftly, attacking with his second ball. He bowled a wide googly, inviting Narine to come for the ball, but Narine could not muster enough speed and ended up offering an easy catch to long off. While Narine walked back to the pavilion, Rathi could be seen “signing” his name on the pitch. He did not move towards the batter or utter any words, but the celebration may get him into trouble, given that he is only one demerit point away from being banned. Interestingly, Narine is the same player who motivated Rathi to pursue spin bowling.
Digvesh Rathi Likely To Be Banned
This is not the first time Rathi has been in the middle of controversy this season. Previously, he had been fined 25% of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for committing the same offense after bowling out Punjab Kings’ Priyansh Arya. He committed the same offence against Mumbai Indians’ Naman Dhir and was imposed a heavier fine of 50% of his match fee and two more demerit points.
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Now with three demerit points against his name, Rathi was again given a warning by the BCCI for breaching Article 2.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct that prohibits any acts likely to insult or provoke an dismissed player. His conduct on Tuesday earned him another demerit point and his total increased to four points, which is the cut-off point for one-match suspension. Once he hits five demerit points, Rathi will be given an automatic suspension, subjecting him to a tight watch thereafter.
