Watch- Digvesh Rathi issues an official clarification after 2 BCCI penalties exceed his contract amount

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi met his idol, Sunil Narine, ahead of the IPL 2025 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). During their interaction, Rathi revealed the reason behind his much-talked-about ‘notebook celebration,’ leaving Narine, Rishabh Pant, and Nicholas Pooran in splits.

Digvesh Rathi impressed with his performances against international players in IPL 2025. However, it was his ‘notebook celebration’ that grabbed headlines.

Rathi has been fined twice and handed two demerit points for the gesture. He first pulled out the celebration after dismissing Priyansh Arya.

Watch: Rishabh Pant Introduces Digvesh Rathi to Idol Sunil Narine

In a video uploaded on LSG’s X handle (formerly known as Twitter), Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant introduced Digvesh Rathi to Sunil Narine during a training session in Kolkata.

The 25-year-old cricketer had spoken about how he drew inspiration from the West Indies star to develop his own bowling style.

During the video, Nicholas Pooran, who plays for LSG, decided to tease Rathi. Pooran asked Rathi why he celebrates with the ‘notebook celebration,’ a gesture unlike Sunil Narine, who stays calm. Without hesitation, Rathi quipped, “Because I’m from Delhi,” sparking laughter among Narine, Pant, and Pooran.

"So tell me something. He doesn't celebrate. Why do you celebrate?" Pooran asked.

“I'm from Delhi,” Rathi answered short and simple.

You can see the full video below:

Meeting your idol in front of your squad be like... pic.twitter.com/9UeoAGxpxr

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) April 6, 2025

POV: Finally you met your idol 💜😄 pic.twitter.com/ynKB3VuVgi

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 6, 2025

Digvesh Rathi Is a Ticket Collector - Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant said, "He's (Rathi) a ticket collector. He's (Narine) a wicket collector. He is writing the cheques."

Rathi has been one of the bright spots for Lucknow Super Giants. With two wins and two losses so far, the young spinner is the team’s second-highest wicket-taker, claiming six scalps in four matches at an economy rate of 7.62.

With his next appearance against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the opposition will surely be keeping a close eye on him.

On the other hand, Narine has shown glimpses with both the bat and ball. He has scored 51 runs in three matches at an average of 17 and a strike rate of 145.71. The mystery spinner has picked up just two wickets at an economy rate of 8.09.

Digvesh Rathi Fined 50 Per Cent of His Match Fees for Celebration

Earlier, the BCCI fined him 50% of his match fees following a repeat offense. The spinner was penalized under Level 1 Article 2.5 of the IPL Code of Conduct for the second time this season, adding two demerit points to his name.

"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 BCCI said in an official statement.

Rathi had been fined 25% of his match fees for pulling out his now-famous ‘notebook celebration’ after dismissing Priyansh Arya in that game. Despite the warning, Rathi repeated the gesture after taking the wicket of Mumbai Indians' Naman Dhir.

Also read: Digvesh Rathi pays the price for defiance, gets tightly slapped by BCCI after repeated offensive celebration