LSG's Digvesh Rathi Faces Double Fine for Repeated "Notebook" Celebration Against Mumbai Indians

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi has found himself in hot water with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yet again, incurring his second fine in a matter of days for his controversial "notebook" celebration. The latest incident occurred during LSG's IPL 2025 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI), where his team secured a 12-run victory. Rathi's animated celebrations after dismissing MI batsman Naman Dhir led to a significant penalty – a deduction of 50 percent of his match fees. This punishment comes just four days after he was fined 25 percent of his match fees for a similar gesture in a previous game. The BCCI officially confirmed the fine, stating that Rathi had committed a Level 1 offense under Article 2.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct. This marked his second such violation in the ongoing season. Consequently, Rathi now has a total of three demerit points against his name, adding to the one he received during LSG's encounter with the Punjab Kings on April 1, 2025. The contentious "notebook" celebration involves Rathi mimicking the act of writing in a notebook immediately after claiming a wicket. In the earlier match against Punjab Kings, he directed this gesture towards opener Priyansh Arya upon his dismissal. Notably, Rathi and Arya have a history of playing together in the Delhi Premier League, adding a layer of perceived personal undertone to the celebration, as if Rathi was making a note of Arya's dismissal. Following the first instance against Punjab Kings, cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar voiced his disapproval of Rathi's actions. Gavaskar suggested that such exuberant celebrations should ideally be reserved for instances where a batsman has just hit a boundary or a six in the preceding delivery, implying that Rathi's gestures appeared premature and potentially disrespectful. Gavaskar further hinted that the celebration might stem from a lack of inherent confidence in consistently taking wickets and could be interpreted as a form of unnecessary showmanship.