Akash Singh made an immediate impact in his first match of the season with a fiery spell in the powerplay against Chennai Super Kings. The left-arm pacer struck early by removing star openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson, putting CSK under pressure right from the start. He later added the crucial wicket of Urvil Patel to cap off an impressive outing with the ball. Akash’s sharp pace, movement and aggressive approach quickly caught everyone’s attention as he stamped his authority on the contest. Adding more flair to the performance, the LSG pacer celebrated each wicket by pulling out a note that read, “#Akki on fire – Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 game.” The gesture soon went viral among fans as the youngster announced himself in style on the big stage.
LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was also highly impressed with Akash’s performance and shared a message for the young pacer on X. Goenka praised Akash for picking up three crucial wickets against Chennai Super Kings and also made reference to the now-viral note celebration that grabbed attention during the match.
“Akash, three crucial wickets tonight. Well done. The note says it all, you showed exactly how to take those wickets in a T20 game. Keep at it, Akki. Proud of you. @LucknowIPL,” Goenka wrote on X.
Also Read – Akash Singh brings out note, flaunts it towards crowd after getting better of Sanju Samson, Gaikwad: ‘Can’t really read’
Meanwhile, Akash kept things tight right through his spell, bowling four consecutive overs with impressive control and discipline. The left-arm pacer consistently attacked a hard length, making it difficult for CSK’s top-order batters to free their arms and dominate the powerplay. His smart approach paid off during Sanju Samson’s dismissal, as the batter attempted an aggressive pull shot to a rising delivery but failed to generate enough power or timing because of the lack of room. The mistimed stroke eventually found Mukul Choudhary near the square-leg boundary, handing Akash another crucial breakthrough.
“My mindset is always about getting big wickets”: Akash
After the first innings, Akash opened up on the fearless mindset that drives his bowling in the IPL, saying his focus is always on dominating batters rather than just competing. The young pacer stressed the importance of staying mentally ahead in a batting-dominated format and revealed that targeting big wickets has always been a key part of his approach.
“My mindset is always about getting big wickets because when you come to the IPL, you shouldn’t just come to play – you should come to dominate. That mindset is very important. If you don’t think like that, then in a league like this where batting is getting stronger every single day, you will always stay behind. You need to stay one step ahead skill-wise, but at the same time the mental side matters a lot to me. If you don’t dominate mentally in this game, you can’t move forward consistently. That’s why my approach is always to dominate and honestly the batter’s name doesn’t matter too much to me. I try to think like I’m bowling in single-wicket cricket where execution matters the most. In those situations, your body flows naturally and the ball goes exactly where you want it to. So I focus on execution and going after big wickets. Obviously getting big batters out gives a different kind of happiness and if you look at my IPL record, most of my wickets are big players because that’s always been my mindset,” Akash told broadcasters.