Akash Singh with his viral note celebration. (IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Akash Singh lit up IPL 2026 on Friday with both ball and emotion, producing a memorable three-wicket spell – 3/26 in 4 overs – for Lucknow Super Giants against Chennai Super Kings before explaining the note that turned his celebration viral.Playing his first game of the season, the left-arm pacer struck three times, dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel. After every wicket, he pulled out a folded chit from his pocket and flashed it around the stadium, sparking curiosity.WATCH:‘It motivates me during the game’Akash later revealed there was no hidden message — it was simply self-motivation.“I know I express myself well and people tell me that too. But honestly, it’s about the environment you create around yourself. I spend time understanding how champions think and how champions work hard,” Akash told broadcasters during the mid-innings interview.He added that the note contained words meant to fuel his own confidence.“On that note I had written things like ‘Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket’. It just motivates me during the game. Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don’t, but if something helps me stay motivated and helps me perform better, then I’m willing to do it,” Akash said.The celebration reflected the emotion of a player finally getting his chance after waiting all season.‘You should come to dominate’Akash said his mindset was built around attacking the biggest names.“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,” he said.The 24-year-old said his preparation focused equally on skill and mentality.“You need to stay one step ahead skill-wise, but at the same time the mental side matters a lot. If you don’t dominate mentally in this game, you can’t move forward consistently,” he added.Having not featured all season, Akash said the performance was a reward for persistence.“When you are not playing regularly in the IPL, you have to keep pushing yourself constantly. Throughout the season and even in the off-season, I kept working hard,” he concluded.