In the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), there have been few such debutants like Digvesh Singh Rathi that have made as much of an impact off-field as on-field this season. The 25-year-old leg-spinner from Delhi, representing the Lucknow Super Giants, made waves not just on-field, but also for his “notebook” celebration, which became a big talking point for IPL fans this season.
Early Career and IPL Debut
Rathi was born on December 15, 1999, in Delhi, and came up through the domestic season, having made his Twenty20 debut for Delhi in the 2024–25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His impressive performances drew the attention of IPL scouts, and he was signed by LSG for ₹30 lakh in the 2025 IPL Super Auction. Rathi made his IPL debut against the Delhi Capitals and had an immediate impact, taking captain Axar Patel’s wicket with his third delivery.
The “Notebook” Celebration
His “notebook” celebration—representing writing down notes after taking a wicket—quickly became his trademark. The celebration received a lot of positive attention from the fans, but while fans enjoyed the entertainment, some other players and the officials were not as amused. He received his first reprimand on April 1, 2025, against Punjab Kings. After his third-over wicket, Rathi celebrated by carrying out his “notebook” signature celebration and received a 25% match fee fine and got a demerit point due to the exuberant send-off . On April 4, he celebrated again against Mumbai Indians and received a 50% fine with two additional demerit points.
The Incident with Abhishek Sharma
The most significant controversy with Rathi during his time as a player, occurred when it dealt with his actions against the Sunrisers Hyderabad during Match 61 of IPL 2025. During that match, Rathi’s actions became known through his “notebook” celebration after the dismissal of opener Abhishek Sharma, but Sharma deemed it as disrespectful. What followed was a confrontation based on view points with both players, and umpires had to intervene to separate the two. Rathi was reprimanded again and fined 50% with an additional two demerit pts, which compounded his 3 previous demerit pts for a total of 5 demerit pts. Thus, by IPL rules, Rathi had been automatically suspended for the next match. Sharma was reprimanded as well, with a 25% fine of his match fee and one demerit point.
Team Dynamics and Support
Regardless of the ongoing drama around him, Rathi’s team mates fully embraced Rathi and vocally supported him as well. In the next game for Lucknow Super Giants versus the Gujarat Titans, Akash Singh (LSG pacer), took a wicket and celebrated it by mimicking Rathi’s “notebook” celebration, to show his continued support for his suspended teammate.
Performance and Impact
Rathi actually had a solid first season with 13 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 25.30 with bad figures of 2/8. His variance and ability to deceive batsman took attention away from guarding the boundary for LSG and took some pressure off of the bowler at the other end. All of Rathi’s antics obfuscated any detail or insight into Rathi’s performances, and turned into disciplinary attention for him and his team, identified/shedding light past his actions and performance with ramifications for team dynamics, wider contexts, and team selection.
Looking Forward
Overall, Rathi’s experience of IPL 2025 will serve as lesson, especially for younger players; the idea that there is a fine line between showmanship and sportsmanship. Rathi’s unique and eye-catching (positive/contributory) celebrations were enjoyable for the game, but they also drew disciplinary consideration too. So going forward, as he continues his career as a cricketer, he will have to find a balance between having fun with personal expressions and expected professional conduct, in order to grow as a player and to be an asset to his team.
In the world of the IPL however, where winning and making money and having fun sometimes intersect, players such as Rathi demonstrate the shift taking place in cricket – where cricketer herself is fast becoming more valued in the modern game, at least in terms of the interaction/experience of an individual player and where team culture coexist or not with individuality.
