Digvesh Singh Rathi became the centre of attention following the Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings IPL 2025 match, though not for reasons he would be proud of. The LSG leg-spinner’s over-the-top celebration after dismissing PBKS batter Priyansh Arya in the third over of the PBKS chase in Lucknow caused quite a stir. His actions, reminiscent of Kesrick Williams’ notebook send-off, drew sharp criticism from former cricketers.

Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian cricketer, expressed his disapproval in the English commentary box, while former India batter Mohammad Kaif voiced his frustration in the Hindi commentary. Kaif questioned, “What is he doing? Who is he writing to? Arya is already heading back to the pavilion,” referring to Rathi’s celebration after Arya’s dismissal.

The incident occurred on the fifth ball of the third over, with PBKS chasing a target of 172 runs. The score stood at 26/0 when Rathi was introduced into the attack by his captain Rishabh Pant. Rathi dismissed Arya, who had scored 8 off 9 balls. Arya, having hit a boundary off Rathi’s first delivery, mistimed a pull shot to a short, quicker ball. The top-edge was caught by Shardul Thakur at mid-on.

Elated, Rathi ran towards Arya and mimicked the famous “notebook send-off,” a gesture made popular by West Indies bowler Kesrick Williams, pretending to write Arya’s name in an imaginary book. The celebration, however, drew the attention of the umpire, who immediately warned Rathi. Soon after, Sunil Gavaskar questioned the need for such an act, while the BCCI imposed a fine on Rathi for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. He was penalised 25 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for the Level 1 offence.

Despite the early breakthrough, PBKS comfortably chased down the target, winning by 8 wickets. Prabhsimran Singh (69) and Shreyas Iyer (52*) played pivotal roles in the chase. Rathi was the only LSG bowler to take wickets in the match. After dismissing Arya, he also removed Prabhsimran, but Nehal Wadhera played a crucial role in ensuring there were no hiccups, sharing an unbroken 67-run stand with captain Iyer to guide PBKS to victory.