'Nobody Pulled Him Up': Ex-India Star Concerned Over Unequal Treatment Surrounding Virat Kohli's On-Field Celebration vs PBKS

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has flagged issues with the BCCI's way of handling players' celebrations after Virat Kohli was let go without a fine for his aggressive celebration in Shreyas Iyer's face. He argued that youngster Digvesh Rathi's notebook celebration drew ire, and he was fined twice for his celebration.

Aakash Chopra Speaks Out On IPL & BCCI's Double Standards

Virat Kohli had an aggressive celebration after he helped RCB power through in the IPL 2025 league stage clash against PBKS at Mullanpur. Bengaluru benefited from Kohli's blazing performance. After Jitesh Sharma smacked the winning six, Virat Kohli was fired up after that, and he made an animated gesture while looking towards Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer. The moment could have resulted in a fine, given how Digvesh Rathi was penalised for his celebration. But Aakash Chopra has opened up about the BCCI's way of defining player celebrations.

"What caught my eye was that Digvesh Rathi did a 'notebook' celebration. He did it once and got fined. He did it a second time and got fined. He got scared the third time, saying he was not earning as much as he would lose in fines. So he has started writing something on the ground.

"Then we saw Virat Kohli's celebration at the end of the PBKS-RCB match, that was also pure aggression. However, no one said anything to him. There is not even a rap on the knuckles. Nobody has pulled him up for that, but you did that when Digvesh Rathi did a 'notebook' celebration," Akash Chopra said in one of his videos on his YouTube Channel.

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How Did Digvesh Rathi Steer Clear Of Any Further Fine?

Lucknow Super Giants ' Digvesh Rathi has been in exceptional form for the side, and his performance with the ball has stood out. However, his celebrations have been disputable. Earlier, Rathi used to do the notebook celebration on his hand after dismissing PBKS' Priyansh Arya and MI's Naman Dhir, prompting the BCCI to put a 25% fine with one demerit point and then a 50% fine with two demerit points.

Since then, Digvesh has become cautious, but the celebration hasn't stopped. Now, he writes it on the ground to steer clear of any other fine from the BCCI and IPL.

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