Just like the previous editions, IPL 2025 also unearthed few unknowns, who have now become a popular name in most households. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Digvesh Rathi is among the few names that features in the list. Purchased for Rs 30 lakh, Rathi impressed most with his skill set and finished as the highest wicket-taker from the Lucknow camp, which featured quite a few international stars.
Apart from this, he was mostly in news for his antics - such as the notebook celebration, which was deemed controversial by the IPL official, and the latest being the Mankad episode involving Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma. This was not it as Rathi was also involved in a heated moment with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma, which led to a one-match suspension for the spinner.
Amid all this, former India opener Virender Sehwag has made a point of unfair treatment towards the rookie as compared to the more established figures, highlighting past incidents, which he feels are equally condemnable.
"I thought that the ban was a bit harsh. The boy is playing in his first year in the IPL. MS Dhoni had barged into the ground, he was not banned then. Virat Kohli has spoken to umpires in that tone, who knows how many times, he was also not banned. So, Digvesh Rathi could have been spared, because he is a young player, just coming into the scene, could have let that one go," Sehwag noted while speaking on Cricbuzz.
The incident related to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) veteran took place during a match against Rajasthan Royals in 2019. Dhoni then had entered the field of play to protest an on-field umpire decision over a contentious no-ball. This led to 50 percent fine on his match fees but he escaped without any suspension.
Kohli and on-field arguments are well known to most but he too has never faced any suspension in 18 years of the IPL.
Also Read | IPL 2025 playoffs: MI, PBKS, GT, RCB - which team looks best placed to win the title?
Meanwhile, Rathi has been embroiled in controversy since the IPL 2025 started and had already accumulated three demerit points for earlier Code of Conduct breaches, which were deemed as Level 1 offences. The on-field argument with Abhishek was his third, taking his total demerit points to five in IPL 2025 itself.
It should also be noted that Hardik Pandya didn't feature in Mumbai Indians' first match of IPL 2025 due to a suspension related to previous season. But it was due to slow over rate.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
