It's no easy feat being a spinner, especially a leg-spinner, in the high-pressure environment of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Yet, there are standout talents like Digvesh Rathi, who truly surprised everyone with an impressive debut season. Snagged for just Rs 30 lac by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Rathi made his mark right away, even outshining former world number one T20I leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. 

But Rathi didn’t just grab headlines in IPL 2025 for his wicket-taking abilities. His celebrations were equally captivating. His now-iconic “notebook celebration,” where he pretends to jot down a batter’s name, caught the attention of match officials, who deemed it provocative.

He faced fines twice: first, 25% of his match fee for celebrating after dismissing Priyansh Arya, and then 50% for doing it again against MI’s Naman Dhir. In total, he racked up fines of INR 9.37 lakh. 

As we head into IPL 2026, there's a lot of excitement surrounding Rathi and how he’ll perform. Will he keep shining? Will he stick to his celebrations? Could he face another ban from the BCCI? One thing’s for sure: Rathi isn’t going to hold back on expressing himself this season. 

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Rathi raises a valid point when he questions the favoritism towards batters. He believes that if a batter can celebrate a century by placing his helmet on the bat, he should have the right to his playful notebook celebration. 

“That was my first year and I didn’t know the expectations,” Rathi said. “I didn’t intend to disrespect anyone then and neither do I want to now. But nobody can stop me from celebrating. If a batter can celebrate after scoring a hundred by putting their helmet on top of their bat and so on, then I can celebrate too.”

Now the lead spinner for LSG, expectations are high for him this season. There's no chance he’ll be banned, as the Lucknow franchise will want him on the field for every match. Pant, who knows him well from their time in Delhi cricket, is fully behind Rathi. Last year, Rathi was a revelation, taking 13 wickets with an economy rate of 8.25. With his carrom ball, hard lengths, and stump-to-stump bowling, Rathi is a T20 specialist eager to take his game to the next level this season.