To his fans and admirers, mystery leg-spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi is known as much for his attitude as his bowling style.
This long-haired “kaleshi” (trouble maker), his “notebook” celebration, in which he scribbles in the air after a dismissal, drew fines thrice and one-game ban in his debut season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025. Social media though was flooded with reactions admiring Rathi, many saying that cricket needs such characters otherwise it gets “boring”.
“This guy Digvesh is unstoppable and he has something which most of the cricketers don’t have …it’s called SPINE.” That was one reaction to Rathi’s celebration.
Rathi, who hides the ball like Sunil Narine, impressed in IPL 2025 and could be Rishabh Pant’s trump card this time as Lucknow Super Giants are aiming for a comeback after finishing seventh in consecutive seasons.
The player from Delhi was spotted in the Delhi Premier League 2024 when he took 14 wickets in 10 games for South Delhi Superstarz under Ayush Badoni. He was bought by LSG for ₹30 lakh. In his first IPL match, Rathi got a wicket with his third ball dismissing Axar Patel. He castled idol Narine with his first ball against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Rathi’s 14 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.25 controlled the middle overs and helped break partnerships. His teammate called him “phenomenal character,” unafraid to express himself. Rathi’s social media videos from the preparatory camp here in which he calls speedster Mayank Yadav amazing and “no one knows how fast he bowls”, has gone viral.
{{/usCountry}}Rathi’s 14 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.25 controlled the middle overs and helped break partnerships. His teammate called him “phenomenal character,” unafraid to express himself. Rathi’s social media videos from the preparatory camp here in which he calls speedster Mayank Yadav amazing and “no one knows how fast he bowls”, has gone viral.
{{/usCountry}}Retained for ₹30 lakh for IPL 2026, Rathi joins Pant’s rebuilt side craving spin bite in an attack that is big on pace. Rathi provides that with Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, On the spin-friendly Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, Rathi’s bounce and flight can trouble big-hitters.
On Tuesday, young trainees at the Ekana stadium were glued to Rathi’s action during a practice match. “He (Rathi) reminds me of Varun Chakravarthy, who copies the bowling style of Sunil Narine,” said young spinner Sarthak Tandon while watching the bowler from beyond the boundary.