"Dhoni walked onto the field and wasn’t banned, Kohli has argued with umpires countless times": Sehwag questions Digvesh Rathi's suspension

Former India opener Virender Sehwag has criticized the BCCI for what he sees as inconsistent treatment of players in the Indian Premier League (IPL), particularly when it comes to disciplinary actions. His comments came after Lucknow Super Giants’ young leg-spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi was handed a one-match suspension for a heated on-field exchange with Abhishek Sharma during a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. While Rathi was suspended, Abhishek received only a fine and demerit points.

Sehwag felt the punishment was too harsh, especially considering Rathi is in his debut season. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he said, “I thought the ban was a bit much. The boy is just starting out. MS Dhoni once stormed onto the field to confront the umpires and wasn’t banned. Virat Kohli has argued with umpires countless times and never faced suspension. So why be so strict with this youngster?”

Sehwag was referring to a 2019 IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, where Dhoni walked onto the field mid-game to challenge a no-ball decision. He was fined 50% of his match fee but not banned. Kohli too has had multiple on-field run-ins over the years without facing a suspension.

However, Sehwag seemed to overlook an important detail: Digvesh Rathi's suspension wasn’t based solely on the altercation with Abhishek Sharma. That incident added to a series of previous breaches. Rathi had already racked up three demerit points earlier in the season for violating the IPL’s Code of Conduct — primarily for his exaggerated "tick-the-notebook" celebrations after taking wickets. The scuffle with Abhishek, which also stemmed from his celebration, was his third Level 1 offence of the season and pushed his total to five demerit points.

According to the BCCI, accumulating five demerit points in a season leads to an automatic one-match suspension. Here's how it added up for Rathi:

April 1 vs Punjab Kings: 1 demerit point

April 4 vs Mumbai Indians: 2 demerit points

May 17 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (incident with Abhishek Sharma): 2 demerit points

That brought his total to five, triggering the suspension for LSG’s next match against Gujarat Titans on May 22, 2025.

On the flip side, while big names like Dhoni and Kohli have had their fair share of tense moments on the field, they were never suspended simply because their actions never crossed the limit set by the rules. In Digvesh Rathi’s case, it wasn’t just about one incident — it was the result of multiple minor offences piling up over the season. So, while Sehwag’s concerns about different treatment for senior players might strike a chord, Rathi’s ban was more about repeated warnings finally catching up with him than any unfair targeting. The system did what it was designed to do.