Lucknow Super Giants pacer Akash Singh made an unforgettable start to the IPL 2026 season, not only because of his exceptional bowling performance but also due to a celebration that became the talking point of the match. The young left-arm seamer rattled the Chennai Super Kings' batting lineup with a sensational spell, dismissing key batters Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Urvil Patel in quick succession.

Every wicket came with a unique celebration, with Akash pulling out a small note and holding it up for everyone to see. The note carried a motivational message, “#Akkionfire – Akash knows how to take wickets in a T20 game."

Meanwhile, former cricketers such as Dale Steyn, Ambati Rayudu, and Mitchell McClenaghan expressed reservations about the repeated antics on the field. 

“I just want to know at what point today he thought, ‘hey this will be awesome, like I’ll pull this out on TV, everybody will think I’m cool. I also want to know who his friends that he told backed him up and said that would be a great idea. I just think that’s his manifestation, it may not go down well with a lot of people, but it’s kind of funny and a bit of rubbish,” he told ESPNcricinfo.

Former New Zealand pacer McClenaghan echoed the same sentiment, saying the focus should remain on the game itself.

“I’m actually flabbergasted with some of this generation that’s coming through, like you know putting your fingers up on your first real performance on the IPL when you’ve only just turned up on the scene, we’ve only just learnt your name. It’s like jeez how many haters have you got bro, you’ve played four games. I just find it all fascinating, it’s really interesting,” he said.

“I think they should ban this chit business; it's absolute nonsense. I don’t think they’re supposed to bring chits anyway," McClenaghan stated.