In an entertaining moment during the Indian Premier League 2026 encounter between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, spinner Digvesh Rathi once again grabbed attention with his signature “notebook” celebration after dismissing Sai Sudharsan. However, this time, the celebration came with a subtle twist, seemingly designed to avoid further penalties.
Rathi, who had faced disciplinary action in the previous season, had earlier promised to retain his unique on-field personality despite fines and even a suspension. During IPL 2025, his animated celebrations — including gestures directed at batters — led to multiple penalties. He was fined 25 percent of his match fees initially, followed by two separate 50 percent fines, with the final offence resulting in a one-match ban.
Learning from past consequences, Rathi appeared to modify his approach in Sunday’s match. After Sudharsan’s dismissal — a mistimed scoop that was comfortably caught by Avesh Khan — the spinner celebrated by mimicking a writing gesture on the ground rather than confronting the batter directly.
Under IPL regulations, demerit points remain on a player’s record for 36 months. Having already accumulated five points last season, Rathi will need to tread carefully, as reaching eight points would trigger a two-match suspension, while 11 points could lead to a three-game ban.
As for the match itself, Gujarat Titans dominated proceedings after winning the toss and opting to field. Prasidh Krishna delivered an outstanding bowling performance, finishing with figures of 4/28 and restricting Lucknow to 164/8. He dismissed key players including Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran and Mukul Choudhary, climbing to the top of the Purple Cap standings.
In response, Gujarat’s chase was anchored by impressive half-centuries from Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. Their composed batting ensured a comfortable seven-wicket victory with eight balls remaining, sealing a convincing win for the Titans.
