Former India opener Virender Sehwag criticised the BCCI for treating the players differently when it comes to sanctions for breaching the Code of Conduct in the IPL. His was unhappy with the suspension of Lucknow Super Giants leg-spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi for one match after his heated argument with Abhishek Sharma during a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile, Abhishek was fined and received demerit point.

Sehwag deemed Digvesh’s suspension harsh, pointing out that big names like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli had not faced similar penalties in the past. During an IPL game between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in 2019, Dhoni walked onto the field to challenge the umpires’ decision on a disputed no-ball but was only penalised with a 50% fine of his match fee. Kohli, who has been involved in several on-field disagreements, has never faced a suspension.

“I felt the ban was a bit too harsh. This is his first IPL season. MS Dhoni took to the field during a match, yet he did not face a ban. Virat Kohli has had multiple interactions with umpires in a similar manner, yet he wasn’t banned either. Digvesh Rathi, a young player at the beginning of his career, might have deserved some leniency,” Sehwag remarked on Cricbuzz.

Sehwag overlooked a key detail. Digvesh Rathi’s suspension wasn’t solely due to his scuffle with Abhishek Sharma. The LSG leg-spinner had already earned three demerit points for two Level 1 breaches, mostly to his excessive celebrations after taking wickets. The incident with Abhishek was his third offence, bringing his overall demerit points to five.

“The suspension was imposed after Digvesh’s third Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season, which resulted in two additional demerit points. The player had previously earned three demerit points—one from a match with Punjab Kings on April 1, 2025, and two more from a game against Mumbai Indians on April 4, 2025. Due to accumulating five demerit points, a one-match suspension has been enforced. As a result, Digvesh will miss LSG’s upcoming match against Gujarat Titans on May 22, 2025, in Ahmedabad,” the BCCI has announced.

In contrast, neither Dhoni nor Kohli ever reached the five-point threshold, which would have triggered an official suspension from the BCCI.