Lucknow Super Giants spinner Digvesh Rathi has been suspended for one game and fined 50% of his match fee for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct.
The incident occurred during LSG’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 19, when Rathi dismissed Abhishek Sharma in the eighth over and gave him a send-off involving a waving gesture and a “notebook” celebration. The act led to a verbal exchange between the players and required the intervention of an umpire, Michael Gough.
This was Rathi’s third Code of Conduct violation in IPL 2025, all under Article 2.5, which relates to actions or gestures directed at a batter upon dismissal that may provoke an aggressive response or demean the batter. The spinner had previously picked up one demerit point for his celebration against Priyansh Arya of Punjab Kings and two more against Naman Dhir of Mumbai Indians. The latest incident added two more demerit points, taking his total to five for the season.
According to IPL rules, accumulating four demerit points results in a one-match suspension. The demerit points remain on a player’s record for 36 months, and further breaches could lead to longer suspensions — 8 points result in a two-match ban and 11 in a three-match ban.
As a result of the suspension, Rathi will miss LSG’s upcoming fixture against Gujarat Titans on May 23. He has been LSG’s leading wicket-taker this season with 14 wickets and has been one of the few bright spots in their bowling unit. He will return for LSG’s final league game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 27.
Abhishek Sharma, who was also involved in the exchange, has been fined 25% of his match fee. This was his first offence of the season. Both players were in good spirits after the game, shaking hands and chatting post-match.
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the contest by six wickets, eliminating LSG from playoff contention.
