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A wave of backlash hit the IPL 2026’s trending paper-note celebrations, sparked by none other than Dale Steyn. The retired South African speedster fired off a post on X, once called Twitter, not long after Akash Singh revealed scribbled words mid-celebration against the Chennai Super Kings. Though brief, his message carried weight, landing like a sharp delivery on fresh pitch.

Even if Steyn didn’t name Akash Singh outright, when he posted it left little doubt who he meant. Papers can stay filed now, that moment has passed – truth is, it barely arrived, he said on X, cutting through the noise around the latest viral gesture.

Akash Singh bowled four tight overs, grabbing three wickets for just twenty-six runs against CSK. After one dismissal, he pulled out a small piece of paper showing “Akki on fire, Akash knows how to take wickets in a T20 game.”

He said it was something only he truly understood, a quiet push when things get tough. Not everyone saw it coming, yet there it stayed, tucked between his fingers like a secret.

IPL’s viral paper-note celebration criticized by Dale Steyn

Midway through Lucknow’s tight phase, Akash sparked joy. Just when LSG craved quick wickets, he struck – clean, sharp, effective. Out went vital hitters, one after another. His leap afterwards, instant highlight. Fans couldn’t stop replaying it. A raw moment, loud and real, slicing through the game’s tension.

The paper-note trend started getting noticed in IPL 2025 after Abhishek Sharma scored a century and held up a note saying This one is for Orange Army.

Later on, some athletes began using that kind of gesture during touching scenes. A moment unfolded when Mumbai Indians’ Raghu Sharma held up a slip of paper upon getting his first IPL wicket versus LSG. In another instance, Urvil Patel, facing Lucknow, hit a lightning-fast fifty in thirteen balls, afterwards revealing words meant for family: “This is for you, Papa.”

Now Akash Singh follows the pattern, yet Steyn’s response redirected attention from emotion toward repetition. What he said hints that the gesture might have worn out fast; maybe it was never worth the spotlight at all.