Check out Digvesh Singh Rathi’s ‘notebook celebration’ meaning in IPL 2025
During Friday’s 12-run victory over the Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi violated the IPL code of conduct for the second time this season.
The team captain, Rishabh Pant, was also fined Rs 12 lakh for slow over-rate. Digvesh Singh Rathi was given a 50% match fee fine.
Digvesh Singh Rathi ‘notebook celebration’ meaning explained and how much amount has he faced in fine for it in IPL 2025
Earlier this week, Digvesh Singh Rathi was given his first punishment, forfeiting 25% of his match fee for celebrating with his notepad after dismissing Priyansh Arya of the Punjab Kings owing to their previous spat in the Delhi Premier League. After removing Naman Dhir from the game against the Mumbai Indians on Friday, he celebrated the same way again.
Rathi’s notebook celebration sees him mimicking writing the batter whose wicket he takes name in an imaginary notebook by making a notebook with his left hand and making an action of jotting the batsman’s name with his right hand.
The celebration echoed the 2017 exchange between Kesrick Williams and Virat Kohli, which Kohli famously responded to during a T20I in Hyderabad in 2019. Rathi who was bought for Rs.30 lakhs by LSG in the 2025 IPL auction has till now been fined 25% and 50% in two consecutive matches this season for his writing in the notebook celebration.
“This was his second Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season and hence, he has accumulated Two Demerit Points, in addition to One Demerit Point which he accumulated during LSG’s match against Punjab Kings on April 01, 2025,” the IPL stated on Saturday.
Player conduct is expressly addressed under Article 2.5 of the IPL, which forbids “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from another player in the match.” But the code makes it clear that it isn’t “intended to stop Players celebrating, in an appropriate fashion, the dismissal of the opposing Team’s batter.”
Regarding Pant’s penalty, the IPL explained: “As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Rishabh Pant was fined INR 12 Lakh.”
During the last over of MI’s chase, LSG had to maintain an additional fielder within the ring due to the sluggish over-rate. The team managed to clinch their second victory of the season by effectively defending 22 runs in spite of this restriction.
“I can understand the celebration if the wicket comes after the batsman hit a boundary or a six in the previous ball,” said cricket veteran Sunil Gavaskar, in response to Rathi’s antics. You have six deliveries as a bowler. It is therefore incomprehensible to attempt something like that if you have five dot balls and take a wicket of the sixth.