Lucknow Super Giants spinner Digvesh Rathi brought back his infamous notebook celebration during LSG’s high-scoring encounter against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Despite an expensive outing, the left-arm spinner managed two crucial breakthroughs, including the dismissal of an in-form Shreyas Iyer, and couldn’t resist pulling out the gesture that has already cost him twice this season.
Rathi was under pressure after being taken apart in his earlier overs by an aggressive Punjab Kings top order. But he delivered in key moments – first by removing Shreyas Iyer in the 13th over and then accounting for Prabhsimran Singh in the 19th.
Iyer, who looked set for a big finish after reaching 45, was undone by a delivery that took the outside edge and flew to backward point. It was the first time Iyer had been dismissed by a spinner this season.
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Prabhsimran, meanwhile, fell to an ill-timed reverse sweep that went straight to Nicholas Pooran at cover, who dived low to complete a sharp catch. Rathi, visibly pumped, brought out the notebook celebration on both occasions – mimicking jotting down names in a mock diary.
{{/usCountry}}Prabhsimran, meanwhile, fell to an ill-timed reverse sweep that went straight to Nicholas Pooran at cover, who dived low to complete a sharp catch. Rathi, visibly pumped, brought out the notebook celebration on both occasions – mimicking jotting down names in a mock diary.
{{/usCountry}}This time, however, the celebration could invite fresh disciplinary action. Rathi had previously been fined twice for the same celebration in IPL 2025, prompting him to tweak the gesture in recent outings. But against PBKS, he seemed to revert to the original version in the heat of the moment.
The spinner returned with figures of 4-0-46-2, playing as the lone specialist spinner in a Lucknow side that otherwise struggled with both ball and fielding. LSG’s bowling unit was erratic, allowing Punjab to pile on 236/5 – one of the highest totals this season.
LSG now face not just tactical questions about their underwhelming bowling plans, but also potential disciplinary concerns, with Rathi once again under scrutiny for a celebration.