The paper-note celebration trend in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has now drawn criticism from former South African pacer Dale Steyn. The latest instance came during Lucknow Super Giants’ clash against Chennai Super Kings, when LSG pacer Akash Singh pulled out a written note during his celebration after a strong bowling performance.
Akash starred with figures of 3/26 in four overs and later explained that the note served as a source of motivation for him. However, the celebration quickly became a talking point on social media. Soon after the incident went viral, Steyn shared his views on the growing trend of players displaying written notes during celebrations. While he did not mention Akash directly, his remarks were widely seen as a reaction to the LSG pacer’s gesture.
“Time to put the papers away. It ain’t trending no more. Actually, to be honest, never really was,” Steyn wrote on X.
Time to put the papers away.
It ain’t trending no more.Actually, to be honest, never really was.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) May 15, 2026
Akash Singh dismantles CSK top order, celebrates with a note
The message on Akash Singh’s slip read, ‘Akki on fire – Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 game’. The celebration came during a crucial spell for LSG against CSK, where the left-arm pacer delivered figures of 3/26 and helped his side gain early control. His performance and the note celebration quickly became one of the most talked-about visuals from the match.
The paper-note trend has emerged as one of the IPL season’s biggest side stories. It first gained major attention when Abhishek Sharma celebrated his IPL century for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Punjab Kings by displaying a message that read, ‘This one is for Orange Army’.
Since then, several players have used similar celebrations to express personal emotions. Raghu Sharma of Mumbai Indians revealed a written note after claiming his maiden IPL wicket against LSG, while Urvil Patel of CSK displayed a message saying, ‘This is for you, Papa’, after smashing a 13-ball half-century against LSG, one of the joint-fastest fifties in IPL history.
However, the trend has now faced criticism from Steyn. His remarks suggested that the gesture may already have lost its novelty and that the hype around it could be overdone.
