Digvesh Rathi's verbal blast backfires in DPL; gets belted for back-to-back 6s as batter's fiery reply steals the show
Rathi, who earned an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract with Lucknow Super Giants after a standout showing in the inaugural DPL season last year, had already grabbed headlines in IPL 2025—not just for his accurate wrist-spin but also for his 'notebook' celebration and frequent confrontations with batters. He finished the tournament with 14 wickets, the most among uncapped bowlers.
On Tuesday, during South Delhi Superstarz's second game of DPL 2025, Rathi clashed with West Delhi opener Ankit Kumar in a heated exchange.
The incident began in the fifth over of West Delhi's chase when Rathi pulled out of his delivery stride on the fifth ball—a ploy he often used during the IPL. In response, Ankit stepped away from his stance when Rathi switched to bowling around the wicket on the next ball, triggering a fiery war of words.
With the West Delhi openers racing to 118 runs in the first 11 overs in pursuit of 186, South Delhi captain Ayush Badoni reintroduced Rathi for a third spell. Ankit greeted him with back-to-back sixes—one over long-on, the other over deep mid-wicket—before flashing a 'two' gesture at Rathi. The bowler ended with figures of 0 for 33 in three overs.
Ankit went on to score a magnificent 96 off just 46 deliveries. His knock was laced with 11 boundaries and six towering sixes. He also forged a massive 158-run opening partnership in just 14 overs with Krish Yadav, putting the chase firmly in their team's grasp.
Yadav was eventually dismissed for a fluent 67 off 42 balls, an innings that included some crisp strokeplay and smart running.
Earlier in the match, South Delhi Superstarz had a solid start to their innings. Openers Kunwar Bidhuri and Sumit Mathur added 74 runs for the first wicket, with Bidhuri scoring a brisk 42 off 27 balls and Mathur contributing a composed 33 off 29. Captain Ayush Badoni added a vital 48 off 25 in the middle overs, playing a captain's knock when needed.
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