20 May 2025 : More than the high-scoring, thrilling encounter between Lucknow Super Giants and the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Ekana Stadium, where the former fell out of the race to make the playoffs in the ongoing IPL 2025 season after a defeat at home, the cynosure remained around the heated clash between LSG spinner Digvesh Rathi and SRH batter Abhishek Sharma. The mid-match duel escalated even after the match, forcing BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla to take charge.
The drama unfolded when Rathi pulled off his usual notebook celebration after dismissing Abhishek, who smashed 59 off 20 balls. The fiery send-off did not sit well with the Sunrisers opener, who exploded at the sight, hurling a mouthful at Rathi, thus sparking a heated altercation, before umpires and teammates intervened.
The episode, however, did not end there. During the post-match handshake between the two teams, Abhishek was stopped by LSG assistant coach Vijay Dahiya, who had a small chat with the India batter, before the latter shook hands with Rathi. The two were again seen having an intense discussion when Dahiya walked in from behind and slapped Abhishek.
Later, Shukla became a mediator after the match, as he was spotted discussing with both Abhishek and Rathi.
Summary:
SRH’s Abhishek Sharma and LSG’s Digvesh Rathi clashed after a wicket, leading to tensions that required BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla’s intervention.