The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has responded after facing backlash from experts regarding their decision to penalize Lucknow Super Giants bowler Digvesh Rathi for his 'notebook' celebration. The spinner, who ranks as Lucknow's second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, received two penalties for his antics.

Digvesh first performed the Kesrick Williams-inspired celebration during a match against Punjab Kings after taking the wicket of Priyansh Arya, a former teammate from last year's Delhi Premier League. As a result, the BCCI fined him 25% of his match fees and issued one demerit point.

Despite the warning, Digvesh repeated the celebration after dismissing Naman Dhir in the next game against Mumbai Indians. This time, he faced a steeper penalty of 50% of his match fees and two demerit points.

BCCI's actions, which nearly led to Digvesh being suspended for a game if he celebrated again, drew criticism from analysts like Sunil Gavaskar and Simon Doull. In light of this feedback, the Indian board has decided to instruct umpires to adopt a more lenient approach towards player celebrations. A report from Cricbuzz stated, "Umpires have been advised to ease up on penalizing players for celebrations after the backlash over the fines imposed on Lucknow Super Giants' Digvesh Rathi".

What did Gavaskar and Doull mention?

In his Mid Day column, Gavaskar expressed his concerns about the BCCI's decision to fine Digvesh, particularly after the second match. He acknowledged that the bowler deserved punishment for his send-off to Arya but believed he should have been let off the hook in the subsequent game.

"The first incident occurred when he dismissed his Delhi teammate Priyansh Arya. He was justifiably fined then for running up to the batter as he was heading back to the dugout and celebrating right next to him," Gavaskar noted. "That crossed the line by invading the batter's personal space and constituted a send-off, which is why he lost 25 percent of his match fees. However, during the second incident, he was far from the batter, making it surprising that he was fined again. He wasn't in the batter's face, so the fine seemed unwarranted."

Doull also shared his frustration regarding how Digvesh was treated.

"The team should be covering those fines. I’m not a fan of it. I enjoy the celebrations, and I don’t think he did anything wrong. I've seen veteran Indian players do much worse, getting right in someone's face without facing any penalties. It feels like they’re making an example out of a young player who was just jotting something down in his notebook," the former New Zealand cricketer commented on Cricbuzz.

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