Chits, Cheers and Cricket

The IPL season has sparked an interesting new trend with players pulling out handwritten notes from their pockets to celebrate big moments. In the first match of the season, Akash Singh dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad and promptly took a small sum out of his pocket.

“Akki is on fire. Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 game,” the note read. it said.

Akash backed up the celebration with a three-wicket haul in his quadruple spell. He said after the match that the unconventional move was his way of motivating himself.

“This gives me motivation, nothing else. I will try to do whatever will motivate me to perform better,” he told the broadcaster. His childhood mentor Vikas Yadav wasn’t too surprised by this. “That’s the type of person he is. He works hard, he’s disciplined and he has fun,” he said.

Akash’s father, a farmer from his village, also remained a strong source of inspiration throughout his cricket journey.

Earlier this season, Chennai Super Kings’ Urvil Patel created another memorable pocket note moment by breaking the record fifty from 13 balls against Lucknow Super Giants.

He pulled a receipt from his pocket, revealing the message: “This is for you, Dad.” The emotional tribute to his father instantly resonated with fans and became one of the defining visuals of IPL 2026.

Meanwhile, Mohsin Khan stole the show with his first five-wicket haul against Kolkata Knight Riders and celebrated it with pure emotion and moving gestures. This contrast showed how IPL celebrations have now changed from handwritten notes to pure passion.

‘BCCI should ban chits’

Ambati Rayudu termed this trend as “nonsense” and said BCCI should ban such mobile phones, calling them “complete nonsense”. Rayudu said on ESPNCricinfo: “I think that’s the manifestation of it. It might not be very palatable to a lot of people but it’s a bit funny and a bit ridiculous.” “I think they should ban these jokes. It’s absolute nonsense. I don’t think you should bring them with you.”

started by Abhishek

This trend first came to attention in IPL 2025 when Abhishek Sharma celebrated his century for Sunrisers Hyderabad with a handwritten note for the ‘Orange Army’. Abhishek later revealed that the idea came from Shikhar Dhawan, who encouraged him to cheer before matches and keep a diary.