Digvesh Rathi rises to IPL grade after toiling in East Delhi

“Digvesh Rathi could have made the India Under-19 team for the 2018 World Cup had he been given an opportunity by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA)”

This is what the spinner’s coach Sachin Shukla says as he describes Rathi as his best ever trainee at the Capital’s Dronacharya Cricket Academy.

The academy, located at Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Sr Sec. School in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, was started way back in 2000 by the legendary coach Gurcharan Singh, of National Stadium fame at the Yamuna Sports Complex. Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the academy shifted to its current location and currently has 350 trainees.

Digvesh Rathi in his time as net bowler with Delhi Capitals 

The 25-year-old Rathi, its most famous product now, joined the academy when he was around 16. Although he himself confessed last year to @thedelhijunction that he doesn’t have a fixed academy but he trains under Gurcharan Singh at the Dronacharya academy the most.

“When I first saw him, I realised that he was talented right from the start. He had natural talent. We realised when we watched him from the start that he will do something,” says Shukla, who has been training him from the time he joined.

Rathi came to limelight during the Delhi Premier League and was bought for Rs 30 lakh by Lucknow Super Giants during the IPL Auction in November, 2024. He represented Delhi in only two T20s during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, returning spells of 2/8 and 1/11.

In the IPL, he has carded figures of 2/31, (vs Delhi Capitals), 1/40 (vs Sunrisers Hyderabad), 2/30 (vs Punjab Kings), and 1/21 (vs Mumbai Indians). The last performance earned him the Player of the Match Award.

Digvesh Rathi getting a POTM in a Delhi tournament

“He has been performing regularly since the age of 17. He is one of Gurcharan ji’s favourite disciples,” says Shukla.

“The great thing about him is that his bowling style is very good. He was an off-spinner at the start, but he worked hard to become a mystery spinner. carrom ball, googly, seam up delivery, he bowls these. Mainly he is an off-spinner but he has developed himself as a mystery spinner,” adds Shukla.

“I have never seen such a hard-working kid in my life. He has the capacity to bowl for 8-9 hours at a stretch. I have seen him work out and bowl at single wicket for 8-9 hours. He has had hunger from the beginning. He takes everyone along. His behaviour is also very good, to be honest.”

The big change for the kid, who used to live in Mandoli and later shifted to the Gokulpuri area, came after he was ignored for the Delhi Under-19s for the 2017-18 season.

“He wasn’t picked. That is the time he began working harder. He would come to the academy during May too, amid great heat [during the day] and rising temperatures and train for long. I think if he had been picked then, he could have played for India under-19s at the World Cup,” says Shukla further.

Digvesh Rathi (first from left) with teammates in a tournament in Delhi

He played for Delhi state with the under-25 team in the 2021-22 season.

Digvesh has an older brother Sunny Rathi and a younger brother Happy Rathi. The older one is employed at the Mandoli Jail Complex.  

The fact that he comes from a lower middle-class family has possibly helped him in valuing success more.

Rathi worked as a net bowler for Delhi Capitals in the 2023 season and then was a net bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2024 season.

In an interview with Youtube channel @thedelhijunction on the sidelines of Delhi Premier League, Rathi had said that he was inspired by Sunil Narine during his stint at IPL nets.

“I am a big fan of Wanindu Hasaranga, so I am inspired by his style of celebration (his old style of phone call). As far as my style of bowling goes, it is inspired by Sunil Narine who I worked with during nets at KKR. Earlier, when I used to approach the run-up, people would get to know about what I will bowl and I wouldn’t get results, so I have started to hide the ball during the approach [like Narine]. Batsmen read it late now,” he adds.  

Ahead of IPL 2025, he would visit the academy and train regularly.

“I would call him any time before IPL. He would come at 12, 1 or 2 and work till 6.”

Although he is traditionally an off-spinner, googly and carrom have been his regular deliveries.

Tags : Digvesh Rathi, IPL, Indian Premier League, Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi cricket, Gurcharan Singh