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24-year-old left-arm pacer Akash Singh got his first chance of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 15. The young pacer claimed three wickets and joined the list of players who have pulled a piece of pacer out of their pockets after pulling off a good performance. As several players have pulled out chits from their pockets with a message written on them, former India batter Ambati Rayudu and former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan have called for a ban on them. While Rayudu did a Geoffrey Boycott, calling it ‘rubbish’, McClenaghan wondered how many critics has Akash got, who hasn’t played too many games.
“I just want to know at what point today he thought. Hey, this will be awesome. Like, I'll pull this out on TV. Everybody think I'm cool. I also want to know who his friends that he told backed him up and said that would be a great idea,” McClenaghan said on ESPNCricinfo’s TimeOut show.
“I just think, that's his manifestation. It may not go down well with a lot of people, but it's kind of funny and a bit of rubbish like haha,” Rayudu shared his thoughts.
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McClenaghan was left surprised by the current generation of players. He finds it fascinating.
“Exactly, like haha. Laugh at him like oh my gosh. I'm actually flabbergast with some of this generation that's coming through. Like putting your fingers up on your first real performance on the IPL when you've only just turned up on the scene, we've only just learnt your name. Stuff like that, jeez, how may haters have you got, bro? You've played four games. I just find it all fascinating. It's really interesting,” the former Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer said.
“Just never do that again. Hashtag don't do that again,” he added.
Rayudu and McClenaghan have called a ban for these chits.
“I think they should ban these chits,” McClenaghan said.
“Absolute nonsense. I mean, I don't think you're supposed to bring chits anywhere,” Rayudu chimed in.
McClenaghan also wondered how many players in a particular game have chits in their pockets. Also, how many leave the field with chits in their pocket intact as they couldn’t perform.
“How many guys in the game actually got a piece of paper in their pocket and they just don't perform, so they never get to pull it out. Is everybody going on the field with a piece of paper?” wondered the 39-year-old.
Not just Rayudu and McClenaghan, former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn wants the chits to go away as well.
“Time to put the papers away. It ain’t trending no more. Actually, to be honest, never really was,” Steyn wrote on X.
Akash’s match-winning performance vs LSG and IPL record
In a non-consequential game of the season for LSG, Akash made his first appearance in 2026. With the new ball, he dismissed CSK's top order – Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Urvil Patel. He bowled four overs on the trot and picked up three wickets for 26 runs.
Last year, he played three games for LSG and got four wickets at an average of 24.75. Earlier, in 2023 edition, he played six games for CSK, bagging five wickets at an average of 37.60. In 2021, He had made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR) where he remained wicketless in the only opportunity he got.
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