Akash Singh with his viral note celebration. (IPL Photo)
New Delhi: Akash Singh lit up IPL 2026 with both ball and emotion on Friday, with a memorable three-wicket spell against Lucknow Supergiants – 3/26 in 4 overs. Chennai Super Kings Before explaining the note that made his celebration go viral.Playing his first game of the season, the left-arm pacer struck three times while getting out. Rituraj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson and Arul Patel. After each wicket, he took out a folded chit from his pocket and flashed it Around the stadium, arouses curiosity.Look:‘It motivates me during the game’Akash later reveals that there was no hidden message – it was just self-motivation.Akash told broadcasters during the mid-innings interview, “I know I present myself well and people tell me that too. But honestly, it’s about the environment you create around yourself. I spend time understanding how champions think and how champions work”.He added that the note contained words intended to boost his own confidence.“On that note I wrote things like ‘Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket’. It just motivates me during the game. Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don’t, but if something helps motivate me and helps me perform better, I’m willing to do it,” Akash said.The celebration reflected the emotion that a player finally got his chance after waiting all season.‘You should dominate’Akash said his mindset was built around attacking big names.“My mindset is always about getting big wickets because when you come to the IPL, you shouldn’t just come to play, you should dominate,” he said.The 24-year-old said his preparation is equally focused on skill and mentality.“You need to be one step ahead skill-wise, but also the mental aspect is very important. If you don’t dominate the game mentally, you can’t progress consistently,” he added.After not featuring all season, Akash said this performance was a reward for perseverance.“When you are not playing regularly in the IPL, you have to keep pushing yourself,” he said. Throughout the season and even in the offseason, I worked hard.
