Lucknow Super Giants spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi was fined 25 per cent of his match fees and handed a demerit point for his unusual 'letter-writing' celebration after dismissing Punjab Kings batter Priyansh Arya.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India penalised Rathi for "breaching the IPL Code of Conduct" during LSG's match against PBKS at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. PBKS won the game by eight wickets.
"Digvesh Singh admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 and accepted the Match Referee's sanction," an IPL media advisory stated.
"For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding."
The controversial celebration took place on the penultimate ball of the third over during PBKS' chase of 172.
Digvesh bowled a short and wide delivery, which Arya attempted to pull without much foot movement, only to top-edge the ball.
Shardul Thakur sprinted from mid-on and completed a running catch.
As Arya walked back to the pavilion after scoring eight off nine balls, Digvesh, his teammate from the Delhi T20 League, mimicked writing a letter — an act seemingly directed at Arya.
The umpires took note of the gesture and had a word with the bowler as it also drew immediate comparisons to West Indies pacer Kesrick Williams, who popularised the 'notebook' celebration after dismissing opponents, including a famous spat against Virat Kohli during a 2019 bilateral series.
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammed Kaif, while doing commentaries, did not appreciate Digvesh's antics.
The leg-spinner was the pick of the LSG bowling lineup, picking up 2/30 runs in his four overs.
However, the rest of the LSG bowling attack failed to make an impact as PBKS chased down the 173-run target in just 16.2 overs.
The win propelled PBKS to second place in the IPL 2025 points table. PBKS, RCB, and DC currently have four points each, having won their first two matches.
