There was a match in IPL 2025 which will be remembered not only for cricket but also for other reasons. This match played between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was known for an on-field altercation, in which there was a clash between SRH’s Abhishek Sharma and LSG’s spinner Digvesh Rathi.
📌 Match Setting
This match played at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow was special for SRH. Abhishek Sharma played a tremendous innings of 59 runs in 20 balls, which gave SRH a strong start. But his innings stopped when Digvesh Rathi got him out and did his signature ‘notebook’ celebration. This celebration personally offended Abhishek Sharma, after which he did a face-to-face confrontation with Rathi.
🔥 Start of the fight and after that
When Rathi did the ‘notebook’ gesture, he repeated this act even after his first two fines. This time he also sent-off Priyansh Arya and Naman Dhir with the same gesture, for which they were first given 25% and then 50% fines of their match fees and demerit points
Abhishek Sharma’s reaction was different this time. He directly confronted Rathi, in which the umpires had to intervene. After the match, Sharma posted a cryptic message on his Instagram, “Signed off and sealed ✍️,” which was indirectly directed towards Rathi.
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🏛️ Disciplinary Action
The BCCI took the incident seriously. Digvesh Rathi was considered to have committed his third Level 1 breach, for which he was suspended for one match and fined 50% of his match fees. Abhishek Sharma was reprimanded for the first offense, 25% of match fees was deducted and one demerit point was given.
🧠 Digvesh Rathi’s Mentality
Rathi has described his ‘notebook’ celebration as a part of his motivation. He said that it helps him to improve his performance. His brother Sunny warned him that this gesture may seem disrespectful to other players and he should avoid such actions.
📲 Social Media Reactions
After this incident, a series of memes and discussions started on social media. Fans made fun of Rathi’s ‘notebook’ celebration and also showed their support for Abhishek Sharma’s cryptic message.
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🏁 Conclusion
This incident has become a memorable moment of IPL 2025. While on one hand Rathi came into controversy over his unique celebration style, on the other hand Sharma showed professionalism by controlling his emotions. This teaches us that cricket is not just a game of skill, but also of discipline and sportsmanship.