The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken disciplinary action against Lucknow Super Giants bowler Digvesh Singh Rathi for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the match against Punjab Kings at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. Digvesh was fined 25 percent of his match fees and received one demerit point for his animated notebook celebration after dismissing PBKS batter Priyansh Arya.
Admitting to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.5, Digvesh accepted the match referee’s sanction, which is final and binding for Level 1 breaches. The incident occurred on the penultimate ball of the third over of PBKS’ chase when Digvesh bowled a short and wide delivery. Arya attempted a pull shot but ended up top-edging the ball, leading to a sharp catch by Shardul Thakur. As Arya walked back after scoring 8 off 9 balls, Digvesh, who has played alongside him in the Delhi T20 League, mimicked writing his name in an imaginary notebook. The umpires took notice and had a word with him about the celebration.
The gesture immediately reminded fans of West Indies pacer Kesrick Williams, known for his notebook celebration, notably used against then-India captain Virat Kohli in 2019. However, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was critical of Digvesh’s celebration. “I can understand the celebration if the wicket comes after the batsman hit a boundary or a six in the previous ball. As a bowler, you’ve got six deliveries. So if you got five dot balls and get a wicket of the sixth, then you do something like that, it’s not understandable. But all these gestures mean that you don’t expect to get a wicket. And now that you’ve got a wicket, you’re trying to, you know, show off,” Gavaskar remarked during commentary.
Despite the controversy, Digvesh was the standout performer among LSG’s bowlers, picking up two wickets for 30 runs in his four-over spell. However, his efforts weren’t enough, as Punjab Kings comfortably chased down the 173-run target in just 16.2 overs, powered by explosive half-centuries from opener Prabhsimran Singh (69 off 34 balls) and captain Shreyas Iyer (52* off 30 balls).
With this emphatic win, PBKS climbed to the second spot on the IPL 2025 points table. They are now tied with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC), all securing four points from their first two matches.
Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
