Digvesh Rathi has got Imran Tahir's hair, Sunil Narine's run-up, and Kesrick Williams' celebration. That has been the running joke during Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) matches in IPL 2025. More importantly, though, the mystery spinner has shown he has got the skills to compete with the best out there.
On Friday night, when all other LSG bowlers had economy rates of 10.00 or more, Rathi picked up 1 for 21 from his four overs to help his side defend 203 against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Lucknow. In four matches so far, he has gone for more than eight an over only once. In all, he has six wickets at an economy of 7.62.
"I fell in love with bowling after watching Sunil Narine bowl," Rathi said after being named the Player of the Match against MI. "My bowling style is such that I prefer attacking the batters and getting them out. I want to be even more attacking, just like Sunil Narine. The way he stays calm in pressure situations, I want to do the same."
The method behind Rathi's mystery is the control over his length. As per ESPNcricinfo's logs, of the 96 deliveries he has bowled in the tournament so far, 80 have been on good length or just short of it. Off those 80, he has conceded just 95 runs. Only three times has he bowled a short ball and 13 times a full one.
Against MI, on a black-soil surface, he bowled 19 good-length or short-of-good-length deliveries, five full, and not a single short, hit-me ball. The reward came in the form of Naman Dhir's wicket. Dhir had raced to 46 off 24 balls but ended up inside-edging Rathi's carrom ball onto his stumps.
"He [Rathi] was using the surface really well, bowling into the surface," Sanjay Bangar said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show. "He didn't really try anything in the fuller length. That has been strength.
"[He has] a great temperament as well to go with the skill set. He is not just angling the ball in. He may give the batsmen a little bit of a doubt that he would probably take it away as well. So, all in all, a wonderful spot by the LSG management as well."
Rathi was spotted at the Delhi Premier League, where he finished fourth on the wicket-takers' list with 14 strikes in ten matches at an economy of 7.83. At the IPL mega auction last year, LSG bought him for his base price of INR 30 lakh. He further impressed the team management during the practice games in the lead-up to the season.
After the MI game, Justin Langer gave a glowing review of Rathi's "unbelievable work ethic".
"I thought Digvesh bowled very, very well," Langer said. "He will keep learning. He is very young to the game, but I will tell you what he does do: like all the great spinners, he loves bowling. If he could bowl for 16 hours a day, he would bowl for 16 hours a day. He probably bowls in the corridor of the hotel. He bowls at breakfast, he bowls in the shower, he bowls everywhere. He just loves bowling, and he is being rewarded for years and years of practice. Now he is in the big league, and that practice is starting to pay off."
LSG's next match is on Tuesday, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Kolkata. That will pit Rathi against his idol.
"It's going to be very interesting," Langer said. "I can't wait to watch this because Kolkata have two spinners [Narine and Varun Chakravarthy] and both of them he idolises. Watch how he runs into bowl, who does he look like? Sunil Narine, right?
"And he always has something different. He thinks a lot about the game, about how he is going to get the opposition out, and I think that's why he has got a bright future."
There is one concern, though. After LSG's previous game, Rathi was fined for making physical contact with Punjab Kings' (PBKS) Priyansh Arya after he dismissed the batter and brought out the notebook celebration. He was fined again after the MI game, though there was no physical contact this time, only the celebration. He now has three demerit points against his name. One more demerit point will lead to a one-match suspension.
Shardul Thakur, who himself bowled a crucial 19th over against MI, said the game needed such characters. That was, though, before the news of the latest fine came through.
"He is a phenomenal bowler and a bit of character as well," Thakur said. "That's what we need in the game. We need characters who will come and deliver for the team, who are not afraid of expressing themselves. I feel he always expresses himself and that's his biggest strength."