Lucknow Super Giants' spinner Digvesh Rathi has found himself in hot water after being penalized twice for exuberant celebrations that crossed the line during this year's IPL matches. Back on April 1, 2025, Rathi's celebratory antics, reminiscent of a 'notebook' gesture after taking out Punjab Kings' Priyansh Arya, earned him a fine of 25% of his match fee, which amounted to ₹1.87 lakh. Not stopping there, he also picked up one demerit point.
If you thought this would be his lesson learned, well, it wasn't. Just a few days later, on April 4, 2025, Rathi repeated the same over-the-top celebration against Mumbai Indians' Naman Dhir. This time, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wasn't in the mood for leniency. They slapped a firmer penalty on him: a 50% deduction of his match fee, totaling ₹3.75 lakh, along with two additional demerit points. With this, Rathi now stands on shaky ground with three demerit points. If he picks up one more, he's staring at a one-match suspension, which isn’t something any player would want.
Cumulatively, these fines now sum up to a whopping ₹5.62 lakh from his per-match IPL salary of ₹7.5 lakh. That’s almost like giving away a major chunk of earnings for a moment of excitement!
In a twist of events in the same game against the Mumbai Indians, LSG captain Rishabh Pant found himself in a pickle too. Fined ₹12 lakh for the team's slow over-rate, it marked the season's first infraction for this offense. But the drama didn’t let them down. Despite the penalty, in a nail-biting finish, LSG successfully defended 22 runs in the final over, clinching a 12-run win. Digvesh Rathi shone amidst the chaos, boasting figures of 1/21 with an impressive economy rate of 5.25 runs per over in a match that tilted towards high scores. His performance didn't go unnoticed as he snagged the Player of the Match award.
The rules in the IPL about conduct aren't really meant to be killjoys but aim to keep things in a controlled and sportsmanlike fashion. Article 2.5 of the IPL guidelines sets boundaries for celebrations, urging players not to provoke aggressive reactions—though celebrating appropriately is certainly encouraged.
Captain Pant’s fine was under Article 2.22, reflecting stringent enforcement of maintaining minimum over rates during matches. Both penalties serve as a wake-up call for the players and the teams. Maintaining decorum on the field is as important as the thrilling game we all love to watch.