Digvesh Rathi spins the wins for Lucknow Super Giants

For instance, batter Sameer Rizvi was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a hefty ₹8.4 crore at the auction in November after his exceptional batting performance in the maiden edition of the UP T20 League in 2023. This was the case with young spin bowling all-rounders Vipraj Nigam and Zeeshan Ansari too, the two having made their presence felt with some fine performances for Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively this season.

Many more performers from the regional leagues may make their mark this season going forward. One new face in this talent pool from the regional T20 leagues is mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi. He was first spotted at the Delhi Premier League while playing for South Delhi Superstarz after he took 14 wickets in 10 matches, finishing as the second highest wicket-taker among spinners.

Rathi, who was bought by LSG for ₹30 lakh in the mega auction late last year, is the Lucknow Super Giants’ new spin hero, whose bowling figures of 4-0-21-1 (econ 5.25) in a thrilling 12-run win over the five-time champions Mumbai Indians here on Friday night has made him the darling of the side. None of the others LSG bowlers had an economy rate of under 10.00, which puts Rathi’s performance in perspective.