'Dhoni barged on to the field, Kohli not banned': Virender Sehwag defends 'young player' Digvesh Rathi after suspension

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for showing inconsistency in implementing disciplinary actions against players in the Indian Premier League (IPL), specifically highlighting the recent suspension of Lucknow Super Giants' Digvesh Singh Rathi while past incidents involving MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli resulted in lesser penalties.

Digvesh Rathi, a leg-spinner for LSG, received a one-match suspension following an on-field altercation with Abhishek Sharma during their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The incident marked Rathi's third Code of Conduct breach this IPL season.


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The BCCI clarified that Rathi's suspension was the result of accumulated demerit points from multiple incidents throughout the season, not solely from the confrontation with Sharma.



"I thought that the ban was a bit harsh. The boy is playing in his first year in the IPL. MS Dhoni had barged into the ground, he was not banned then. Virat Kohli has spoken to umpires in that tone, who knows how many times, he was also not banned. So, Digvesh Rathi could have been spared, because he is a young player, just coming into the scene, could have let that one go," Sehwag stated while speaking on Cricbuzz.

The controversy stems from Rathi's previous infractions, including his trademark "notebook" celebrations after dismissing opposition batters, which contributed to his accumulation of demerit points.



"This was his third Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season and hence, he has accumulated two Demerit Points, in addition to three Demerit Points he had accumulated earlier - One Demerit Point against Punjab Kings on April 01, 2025 and two Demerit Points against Mumbai Indians on April 04, 2025. As he now has Five Demerit Points this season - which result in a one-game suspension - Digvesh will now be suspended for LSG's next game - against Gujarat Titans on May 22, 2025 in Ahmedabad," the BCCI explained in their statement.


The incident has brought attention to previous controversies involving prominent players. In 2019, MS Dhoni entered the field during a match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings to dispute a no-ball decision with umpires, resulting only in a 50% match fee fine.

Similarly, Kohli, despite being involved in multiple on-field disagreements throughout his 18-year IPL career, has never faced suspension.



The key difference in these cases lies in the accumulation of demerit points. While Rathi reached the five-point threshold that triggers an automatic suspension, neither Dhoni nor Kohli had accumulated enough points to warrant such action.

The suspension meant Rathi missed Lucknow Super Giants' upcoming match against Gujarat Titans, while Abhishek received a fine and demerit points for his role in the altercation.
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