Akash Singh celebrates after taking a wicket. (Pic credit: IPL)
NEW DELHI: Akash Singh made an instant impact in his first match of IPL 2026, dismissing two key Chennai Super Kings batters inside the powerplay before celebrating with a special message that quickly caught attention at the Ekana Stadium on Friday.Playing his first game of the season for Lucknow Super Giants, the left-arm pacer struck in just his second over by removing CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and then returned to dismiss opener Sanju Samson, derailing the visitors after a steady start.Paper message celebration goes viralAfter dismissing Gaikwad in the third over, Akash reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded chit, showing it around the stadium. The message read: “Akki on fire — Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 game.”The celebration immediately became a talking point, with cameras capturing the unusual moment.Gaikwad was dismissed for 13 off 9 balls. Attempting a pull off a back-of-a-length delivery, he mistimed the shot and spooned a simple catch to Nicholas Pooran.WATCH:Samson follows, message returnsAkash returned in the sixth over and struck again. This time Samson, who had looked comfortable early on, flicked a delivery off his hips straight to Mukul Choudhary in the deep.Samson departed for 20 off 20 balls, and Akash repeated the now-famous celebration — taking out the same chit and flashing it with a grin.The double strike reduced CSK from 31 without loss in 3.4 overs to 36 for 2 in 5.3 overs, shifting the momentum firmly in Lucknow’s favour.Emotional start to the gameBefore the match, players from both teams observed a minute’s silence and wore black armbands to honour victims of the deadly storm that struck Uttar Pradesh earlier this week, claiming over 100 lives.LSG captain Rishabh Pant had won the toss and opted to bowl on a tacky red-soil pitch. With LSG already out of playoff contention, the franchise handed Akash his first outing of the season.The decision paid off immediately, as the left-arm seamer turned the spotlight on himself — and made sure everyone noticed his message.