IPL 2025: Digvesh Singh Rathi Fined for Controversial Celebration
Digvesh Singh Rathi Penalized for Celebration
In a recent IPL match, Lucknow Super Giants' spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi faced a fine of 25% of his match fees along with a demerit point due to his peculiar 'letter-writing' celebration after taking the wicket of Punjab Kings' Priyansh Arya.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed this penalty for violating the IPL Code of Conduct during the game held at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, where Punjab Kings emerged victorious by eight wickets.
According to an IPL media advisory, Rathi acknowledged the Level 1 offense under Article 2.5 and accepted the sanction imposed by the Match Referee.
The Match Referee's ruling is deemed final for Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct.
The incident occurred on the second-to-last ball of the third over while Punjab Kings were chasing a target of 172 runs.
Rathi bowled a short, wide delivery that Arya attempted to pull but ended up top-edging it. Shardul Thakur dashed in from mid-on to take a running catch.
As Arya made his way back to the pavilion after scoring eight runs off nine balls, Rathi, who is also Arya's teammate from the Delhi T20 League, mimicked writing a letter, seemingly aimed at Arya.
The umpires noticed this gesture and spoke to Rathi, drawing parallels to West Indies bowler Kesrick Williams, known for his 'notebook' celebration after dismissing batsmen, including a notable incident with Virat Kohli in 2019.
Cricket icons Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammed Kaif, during their commentary, expressed disapproval of Rathi's behavior.
Despite the controversy, Rathi was the standout bowler for LSG, taking 2 wickets for 30 runs in his four overs.
Unfortunately, the rest of the LSG bowling lineup struggled, allowing PBKS to chase down the target of 173 runs in just 16.2 overs.
This victory elevated Punjab Kings to the second position in the IPL 2025 points table, where they, along with RCB and DC, currently hold four points each after winning their initial two matches.