Digvesh Singh Rathi has gained significant attention following the IPL 2025 match between the Lucknow Super Giants and the Punjab Kings, though not for commendable reasons. The LSG leg spinner delivered a send-off reminiscent of Kesrick Williams to PBKS batter Priyansh Arya after taking his wicket in the third over of the PBKS innings in Lucknow on Tuesday, drawing criticism from prominent former cricketers. Renowned Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar reprimanded Digvesh during the English commentary, while former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif expressed his disapproval in Hindi commentary.

"What is he doing? To whom is he writing a letter? He is going back to the pavilion anyway," Kaif remarked, responding to the send-off directed at his Delhi T20 League teammate, Arya.

The incident took place during the third over of PBKS's chase of 172 runs, specifically on the fifth ball, with the score at 26/0. Rathi was brought into the bowling attack by captain Rishabh Pant and successfully dismissed his Delhi teammate Priyansh Arya, who had scored 8 runs off 9 balls. After hitting a boundary off Rathi's first delivery, Arya misplayed a pull shot on a short, quicker ball, resulting in a top-edge that was caught by Shardul Thakur at mid-on.

Overjoyed, Rathi sprinted towards Arya and imitated the famous “notebook send-off,” a gesture made famous by West Indies bowler Kesrick Williams, in which he pretended to write Arya’s name in an imaginary notebook. This celebration, however, quickly caught the attention of the umpire, who issued a warning to Rathi and later drew criticism from Sunil Gavaskar, who questioned its appropriateness.

The BCCI subsequently penalized Rathi for violating the IPL Code of Conduct. He was fined 25 percent of his match fees and received one demerit point on his record after the match referee classified the act as a Level 1 offense.

Despite the initial breakthrough, PBKS successfully chased down the target, winning by 8 wickets, with Prabhsimran Singh (69) and Shreyas Iyer (52*) spearheading the effort. Digvesh Rathi was the sole LSG bowler to take wickets. After dismissing Arya, he also claimed Prabhsimran, but Nehal Wadhera ensured a smooth chase for PBKS, forming an unbroken 67-run partnership for the third wicket with captain Iyer to secure the victory for his team.

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