20 May, 2025 | 12:57 PM

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi has been handed a one-match suspension and fined 50% of his match fee following a breach of the IPL Code of Conduct during LSG’s recent match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Lucknow on May 19. This marks Rathi’s third Code of Conduct breach this season, triggering an automatic suspension under the league’s disciplinary framework.

The incident occurred in the eighth over of SRH's chase when Rathi dismissed Abhishek Sharma. Following the wicket, Rathi gave Sharma an animated send-off, including his now-notorious "notebook" celebration and a wave, before engaging in a verbal exchange that prompted umpire Michael Gough to intervene.

Under Article 2.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which addresses actions that may provoke an aggressive reaction from a dismissed batter or demean them, Rathi has accumulated five demerit points this season. Four demerit points result in one suspension point, leading to the one-match ban. With demerit points staying on record for 36 months, Rathi will need to exercise caution going forward, as eight points result in a two-match suspension and eleven in a three-match ban.

Rathi had earlier received one demerit point for a celebration directed at Punjab Kings’ Priyansh Arya on April 1, and two points for a similar incident involving Mumbai Indians’ Naman Dhir on April 4. Despite being cautioned after the first offense, Rathi repeated the gesture, believing his initial penalty was only for charging toward the batter.

Abhishek Sharma was also penalized for his role in the altercation. He received a 25% fine on his match fee, marking his first Code of Conduct breach this season. Fortunately, tensions appeared to ease post-match, with both players seen shaking hands and sharing a light moment despite the earlier confrontation. SRH went on to win the game by six wickets with ten balls to spare.

Rathi’s absence will be a significant blow for LSG in their upcoming fixture against the table-topping Gujarat Titans (GT) on Thursday. He has been their leading wicket-taker this season, with 14 scalps in what has otherwise been a disappointing campaign for LSG’s bowling unit. However, he will be eligible to return for the team’s final league-stage match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 27.