Digvesh Rathi Named Player of the Match but Fined for Celebration Again. Digvesh Rathi was awarded Player of the Match for his impressive bowling figures of 1/21 in Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2025 clash on April 4 in Lucknow. However, his on-field antics have once again landed him in trouble.
Rathi, a spinner for LSG, has received a second fine and an additional demerit point from the BCCI for repeating his controversial “Notebook Celebration” after dismissing MI’s Naman Dhir. The celebration has now resulted in his second breach of the IPL Code of Conduct this season.
The first incident occurred during LSG’s match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), where Rathi celebrated in a similar fashion after dismissing opener Priyansh Arya. Arya, attempting a pull shot in the third over of the PBKS chase, top-edged the ball to Shardul Thakur. Following the dismissal, Rathi mimicked writing in a notebook—an apparent symbolic record of the wicket—directed at Arya, a former teammate from the Delhi Premier League.
That celebration earned him a warning from the on-field umpire. This time, the BCCI handed Rathi a sterner punishment: a 25% deduction of his match fee and one demerit point.
Digvesh Rathi’s ‘Notebook Celebration’ Lands Him Another Fine and Demerit Point in IPL
Lucknow Super Giants spinner Digvesh Rathi has once again found himself in hot water after repeating his controversial “notebook celebration” during Friday’s IPL 2025 match against Mumbai Indians. Rathi was handed a 50% match fee fine and an additional demerit point after celebrating Naman Dhir’s dismissal with his now-infamous gesture of pretending to write in a notebook. This marks Rathi’s second offense under Article 2.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which pertains to gestures that can provoke or intimidate a batter upon dismissal.
Despite being some distance from the dismissed batter during the celebration, the IPL committee deemed it a Level 1 offense and imposed a stricter penalty this time. As a result, Rathi has now accumulated three demerit points—two from this incident and one from a previous similar violation during LSG’s April 1 match against Punjab Kings.
“Digvesh Singh, Bowler, Lucknow Super Giants, has been fined 50 percent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Mumbai Indians at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on Friday. This was his second Level 1 offense under Article 2.5 this season, and hence, he has accumulated Two Demerit Points, in addition to One Demerit Point, which he accumulated during LSG’s match against Punjab Kings on April 01, 2025,” read an official statement from the IPL committee.
According to the IPL Code of Conduct, any player who accumulates four demerit points within a 36-month period receives one suspension point—equivalent to a one-match ban. With three demerit points now on his record, Rathi is just one step away from a suspension and will need to tread carefully moving forward.