Digvesh Singh Rathi’s ‘Notebook’ Celebration’s Real Reason Revealed By Brother, Says It’s ‘Motivation’

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April 16, 2025 0 71

Digvesh Singh’s Celebration sparks IPL penalties

LSG spinner Digvesh Singh faced fines and a demerit point for his ‘notebook celebration’ but continued with it across IPL matches.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) leg-spinner Digvesh Singh has made headlines in the Indian Premier League (IPL) not just for his bowling, but also for his unique wicket celebration. The Delhi-born bowler introduced the ‘notebook celebration’ — a gesture where he pretends to write the name of a dismissed batter in an imaginary notebook.

The celebration first appeared when Digvesh dismissed Punjab Kings’ Priyansh Arya. Arya top-edged a pull shot that resulted in a simple catch at mid-on. After the dismissal, Digvesh went up close to Arya and acted like he was scribbling on his palm — symbolically marking his name as a wicket. The send-off led to an immediate warning from the on-field umpire and was later followed by a fine and a demerit point from the BCCI for breaching the IPL code of conduct.

Despite the disciplinary actions, Digvesh brought the celebration back against Mumbai Indians after dismissing Naman Dhir. This time, the incident attracted a bigger fine.

Trying to stay within the lines of the rulebook, Digvesh modified the celebration during LSG’s clash against Rajasthan Royals. After claiming the wicket of Jos Buttler, he mimicked the act again, but this time pretended to scribble on the turf instead of in the air — seemingly trying to avoid further sanctions.

Digvesh’s elder brother, Sunny, opened up about the cricketer’s motivations behind the recurring celebration. “I did ask Digvesh about it. He told me it motivates him,” Sunny told The Indian Express. “I said, ‘okay, if that helps you play better, fine, but don’t disrespect any player’. He’s not doing it to attract attention. He was not even on social media till recently… wouldn’t even update his WhatsApp status. He would say, ‘what is the point of status update, when you don’t have status’?”

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Digvesh’s cricketing journey started in Delhi where he played for multiple clubs, filling in wherever a spot was open. His fortunes changed when former India wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya noticed him during a local match.

“He (Digvesh) would get calls from different clubs in Delhi and play for whichever team had a spot open. At one point, I had enrolled him at a reputed academy in Peeragarhi for Rs 2,500 a month but they made him sit on the bench for two years. But once Dahiya saw him at a local match, Digvesh got support. Dahiya called him to train at his Mori Gate academy,” Sunny recalled.

Digvesh played for South Delhi Superstarz in the inaugural Delhi Premier League (DPL), where he picked up 14 wickets last season. He was later picked by LSG for his base price of ₹30 lakh at the IPL mega auction. While the ‘notebook celebration’ has drawn both criticism and admiration, Digvesh continues to stick to what inspires him — with a tweak here and there to keep it in the spirit of the game.