IPL: Digvesh Rathi suspended after heated exchange with Abhishek Sharma
What's the story
Lucknow Super Giants spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi has been suspended for one match for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. The suspension comes after Rathi gave Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma a send-off in Match 61 of IPL 2025 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on May 19. This resulted in a heated exchange between the two. Rathi was penalized after adding two more demerit points, taking his tally in IPL 2025 to five.
Incident specifics
Details of the incident
The incident happened during SRH's run-chase when Abhishek was dismissed. Rathi celebrated the dismissal with his signature book-signing send-off, which irked Abhishek. The matter escalated into a verbal spat between the two players before umpires and Rathi's teammates stepped in to calm it down. This marked Rathi's third Level 1 offense under Article 2.5 in IPL 2025, earning him two demerit points.
Past offenses
Previous offenses and suspension details
Rathi earlier received a demerit point against Punjab Kings on April 1. The fixture against Mumbai Indians on April 4 saw him earn two more. With a total of five demerit points, Rathi will miss LSG's next game against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on May 22. Notably, LSG were knocked out of the playoff race after losing to SRH in Lucknow.
Penalty details
Abhishek Sharma also penalized
On the other hand, Abhishek was also penalized for his role in the incident. He received his first demerit point and was docked 25% of his match fee. This was the opener's first offense in IPL 2025. Abhishek's blistering half-century helped the Orange Army chase down 206 against LSG. He slammed 59 from just 20 balls, a knock laced with 4 fours and 6 sixes.