Akash Singh celebrated Ruturaj Gaikwad’s dismissal by pulling a piece of paper from his pocket during the 59th match of the IPL 2026 season in Lucknow. The former Chennai Super Kings bowler had Gaikwad caught out on the fifth ball of the fourth over of Chennai’s first innings at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana International Cricket Stadium.
Gaikwad made 13 off 9 before falling, and Chennai had already lost their first batter for 31 runs inside the power play. Singh later added the wickets of Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel, turning what began as a brief burst of celebration into one of the match’s defining spells. He had played for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023, taking 5 wickets in 6 matches at an economy rate of 9.89 before Lucknow Super Giants secured his services ahead of IPL 2024.
The celebration fit into a wider IPL 2026 pattern of paper-based gestures, but this one carried its own edge because Singh was doing it against his former side. Rishabh Pant had already flagged Singh’s return to the side at the toss, saying he was getting his first chance of the season and that Abdul Samad and Mukul Choudhary were also coming in. He also said the team was relying on trust, a line that matched the shuffle in the playing XI.
That context made Singh’s night harder to miss. A bowler once used in Chennai’s setup came back with a point to make, and he made it with wickets, not words.
