Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi has been struggling while playing for South Delhi Superstarz in the Delhi Premier League (DPL 2025). Rathi engaged in a heated exchange with West Delhi Lions opener Ankit Kumar during the 7th match of the DPL 2025 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, August 5.
Digvesh Rathi grabbed attention with an impressive IPL 2025 season for the Lucknow franchise. His breakthrough came in the Delhi Premier League in August 2024, where the 25-year-old cricketer emerged as the standout bowler for South Delhi Superstarz and one of the league’s top performers overall.
Watch: Digvesh Rathi Involved in Heated Altercation During DPL 2025 Clash
During the fifth over of West Delhi Lions’ chase, Digvesh Rathi pulled out of his delivery stride after noticing opener Ankit Kumar’s movement at the crease. It was a tactic Rathi had previously used in IPL 2025 to assess whether a batter was planning to attack.
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The spinner then switched to bowling round the wicket, but the tension escalated when Ankit stepped away just as Rathi was about to deliver, which led to a verbal exchange between the two.
Later in the match, Rathi was brought back into the attack by South Delhi Superstarz captain Ayush Badoni. Ankit hammered Rathi for two massive sixes – one over long-off and another over deep mid-wicket. Rathi finished his spell with figures of 0/33 from three overs.
Digvesh Rathi Yet to Open Wicket Tally in DPL 2025
West Delhi Lions chased down a target of 186 with eight wickets in hand and 26 balls remaining. Ankit Kumar scored 96 off 46 balls, smashing 11 fours and six sixes. He fell just four runs short of a century in the 16th over.
Ankit shared a 158-run opening stand with Krish Yadav, who contributed 67 off 42 deliveries. Captain Nitish Rana and Ayush Doseja completed the chase.
Earlier, Rana opted to bowl first after winning the toss. South Delhi posted 185/7, with contributions from Kunwar Bidhuri (42), Sumit Mathur (33), and Ayush Badoni (48). However, regular wickets in the latter stages of the innings dented their momentum. Anirudh Chowdhury took three wickets.
This was the Superstarz’s second consecutive defeat. Digvesh Rathi is yet to open his wicket tally in the tournament and will be eager to make an impact in their next match against Central Delhi Kings on August 7.
Digvesh Rathi, Second-Highest Paid Cricketer in DPL 2025
Digvesh Rathi was purchased for ₹30 lakh by Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2025 mega auction. The spinner ended the season as LSG’s top wicket-taker with 14 scalps from 13 matches at an average of 30.64 and an economy rate of 8.25.
Rathi consistently troubled top-order batters across all phases of the game. Following his IPL success, he became one of the highest-paid players in the second edition of the Delhi Premier League.
South Delhi Superstarz acquired him for ₹38 lakh, making him the second-most expensive signing of the auction. Only Simarjeet Singh attracted a higher bid, with Central Delhi Kings securing him for ₹39 lakh. West Delhi Lions’ Nitish Rana was the third-highest at ₹34 lakh.
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