Akash Singh’s opening outing in the IPL 2026 for Lucknow Super Giants turned into an instant talking point—not only for the wickets he delivered against Chennai Super Kings at Ekana Stadium on Friday, but also for a peculiar celebration that spread rapidly across social media and television coverage.
The left-arm quick struck twice during the powerplay, first accounting for CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and then dismissing opener Sanju Samson. What followed became the highlight of the evening: after making the key breakthrough, Akash pulled out a folded paper chit from his pocket, unfolded it, and held it up with a message he had written himself.
Akash made his season debut in this fixture and wasted little time in setting the tone. In just his second over, he found a way through CSK’s top order, removing Gaikwad for 13 off 9 balls. The dismissal came after Gaikwad mistimed a pull shot, sending the ball to Nicholas Pooran, who completed the catch.
Right after the wicket, Akash reached into his pocket, unfolded the small chit, and displayed it towards the crowd and the cameras. The line on the paper read: “Akki on fire – Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 game.” The brief gesture immediately caught the attention of fans and viewers, quickly becoming one of the biggest talking points of the match.
His impact didn’t stop there. In the sixth over, Samson—who had begun his innings cautiously—played a flick that went straight to the fielder in the deep, Mukul Choudhary. Once again, Akash celebrated in the same style, producing the same chit while running through the moment with his teammates. The back-to-back breakthroughs shifted the momentum decisively for Lucknow, taking CSK from 31 without loss to 36/2.
While the celebration thrilled plenty of viewers online, it also drew mockery from at least one former CSK batter. Ambati Rayudu, a familiar face for CSK fans, joined the discussion during ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show and took aim at Akash’s theatrics with a light-hearted tone.
Rayudu didn’t go for a harsh condemnation; instead, he treated the stunt as something that was more amusing than acceptable. He suggested that the “chits” should not be brought onto the field, framing it as a kind of “manifestation” that may not land well with everyone, yet still felt “funny” to him.
“I just think that’s his manifestation. It may not go well with a lot of people, but it’s kind of funny and a bit rubbish,” Rayudu said. He added, “I think they should ban these kind of chits, absolute nonsense. I mean, I don’t think you are supposed to bring chits into an examination hall,” as the conversation continued to swirl around the viral moment.
