What started as a viral IPL celebration has now turned into a major talking point after Sunil Gavaskar openly criticised Akash Singh during Lucknow Super Giants’ defeat against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Tuesday night.
Akash Singh, who had recently impressed against Chennai Super Kings, endured a disastrous outing as Rajasthan Royals chased down their target with ease to register a seven-wicket victory. The left-arm pacer finished with expensive figures of 1 wicket for 54 runs in just three overs.
Only a few days earlier, Akash Singh had earned praise for his brilliant spell against CSK in his first game of the season, where he picked up 3 wickets for 26 runs. However, it was not just his bowling that grabbed attention. After taking wickets, the pacer celebrated by pulling out a note from his pocket that read, “#Akkionfire – Akash knows how to take wickets in a T20 game.”
The celebration quickly went viral across social media, especially because the performance came against his former franchise Chennai Super Kings. Later, Akash Singh clarified that the note was not directed at anyone personally.
But things changed dramatically during Rajasthan Royals match. As Akash Singh continued to concede boundaries, Sunil Gavaskar who was commentating during the game, mocked the celebration on air. The former India captain sarcastically questioned where the “chit” was and pointed out that while bowlers may succeed on one delivery, the remaining balls in T20 cricket can still go for plenty of runs.
The trend of players using “note celebrations” in the IPL began earlier this season with Abhishek Sharma, who dedicated his century celebration to the “Orange Army”, referring to Sunrisers Hyderabad fans. Later, Urvil Patel of Chennai Super Kings and Raghu Sharma from Mumbai Indians also followed the trend with similar celebrations.
However, many former cricketers have criticised the idea, including Dale Steyn, Ambati Rayudu and Mitchell McClenaghan. Dale Steyn recently posted on X saying the trend was never really popular, while Ambati Rayudu called the celebrations “funny” but “rubbish”, even joking that such “chits” should be banned like notes in an examination hall.
As debates around the IPL celebrations continue, Akash Singh’s rough night has only intensified the discussion around whether flashy gestures should match consistent performances on the field.
