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Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) leading wicket-taker Digvesh Rathi faced a one-match ban after his on-field altercation with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Abhishek Sharma on May 17. Reacting to one-match ban, former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan said that Rathi has learned his lesson the hard way and he needs to respect very player on the field.
"Sometimes, learning the hard way is the only way the lesson sticks. Hopefully, this will be a turning point where Rathi learns to channel that fire more constructively and show the respect every player deserves on the field," Dhawan posted on his X account on May 20.
Earlier, Dhawan lauded Abhishek for a quickfire match-winning half-century. He praised LSG openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram as well.
"Amazing performance by both SRH & LSG yesterday! From SRH’s @IamAbhiSharma4’s 59 off 20 balls to @iamitchelmarsh and @aidznarkram’s strong opening for LSG, both sides gave their best but at the end it was SRH’s day!" wrote the former PBKS captain.
Rathi's monetary loss
Rathi had three demerit points from first week on April with his 'notebook' send-offs to Punjab Kings (PBKS) opener Priyansh Arya and Mumbai Indians' (MI) Naman Dhir. He got two demerit points for the send-off and the verbal spat with Abhishek. In addition, he has been slapped with 50 per cent match fee fine.
Rathi was roped in for his base price of Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He became an indespenseble part of LSG bowling lineup, especially when leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has struggled to find form. The mystery spinner has 14 wickets from 12 games but he will be warming the bench for LSG's next game against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on May 22.
Who will replace Rathi?
In his absence, LSG have another headache on top of a depleted and out-of-form bowling attack. Rishabh Pant may look to replace him with Shahbaz Ahmed who could contribute with the bat or Manimaran Siddharth. Both are left-arm spinners. Siddharth can be used as an impact player as well.
LSG have already been knocked out of playoffs race. They will play for pride against GT. Rathi will be available for LSG's last league stage match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 27.
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