Digvesh Singh Rathi, the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) leg-spinner, has not only become the team’s leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets in 12 games, but he has also become a viral phenomenon for his distinctive “notebook” celebration, which has garnered him both attention and disciplinary punishment.
Digvesh Rathi viral “notebook” celebration, in which he pretends to strike a name off an imaginary list after each dismissal, immediately became a talking point in IPL 2025.
While supporters were entertained by the gesture, match officials interpreted it as hostile or unsportsmanlike, resulting in multiple violations of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. Now, in a viral video, the 25-year-old finally breaks the silence on the origins of the celebration.
“Start yeh hai ki, jab koi tournament hota hai, main notebook leke jaata hoon.” Aur usme sabke naam likhne hain mujhe (How it started is that I carry a notebook with me to every event to write everyone’s names in),” he stated in a video shared by Lucknow Super Giants on their official social media accounts.
Challan kaatne ka anokha raaz 👀 pic.twitter.com/93eR0G78ST
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) May 26, 2025
Rathi recently dismissed opener Abhishek Sharma and followed it with a harsh send-off with his famous notebook gesture, resulting in a heated verbal dispute with the batter that necessitated the involvement of umpire Michael Gough.
As a result, the Delhi native was given a one-match suspension and fined 50% of his match money. He has now violated the IPL’s Code of Conduct for the third time this season, earning five demerit points under Article 2.5. Notably, the spinner has previously been fined INR 9.37 lakh, or roughly a third of his IPL income, and was forced to miss a match against the Gujarat Titans due to a ban.
He was previously punished for similar actions towards Priyansh Arya of the Punjab Kings and Naman Dhir of the Mumbai Indians. Despite repeated warnings and fines, the 25-year-old persisted with his emotional farewells. Meanwhile, the spinner is anticipated to return to LSG’s starting lineup for the season’s last league game on Tuesday, May 27 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
India
