Playing his first game of IPL 2026, Akash took out Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel by using the short ball well, though CSK posted 187\/5 on board. \u201cI know I express myself well and people tell me that too. But honestly, it\u2019s about the environment you create around yourself. I spend time understanding how champions think and how champions work hard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMy belief has always been simple - if your work ethic and mindset are strong, only then can you dominate. I think it motivates me. There\u2019s no deeper story behind it. On that note I had written things like \u2018Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket\u2019.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt just motivates me during the game. Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don\u2019t, but if something helps me stay motivated and helps me perform better, then I\u2019m willing to do it. That\u2019s what matters most to me,\u201d said Akash in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The young pacer also said his approach was built on clarity and aggression with an aim to out-think the batters. \u201cMy mindset is always about getting big wickets because when you come to the IPL, you shouldn\u2019t just come to play - you should come to dominate. That mindset is very important. If you don\u2019t think like that, then in a league like this where batting is getting stronger every single day, you will always stay behind.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYou need to stay one step ahead skill-wise, but at the same time the mental side matters a lot to me. If you don\u2019t dominate mentally in this game, you can\u2019t move forward consistently. That\u2019s why my approach is always to dominate and honestly the batter\u2019s name doesn\u2019t matter too much to me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI try to think like I\u2019m bowling in single-wicket cricket where execution matters the most. In those situations, your body flows naturally and the ball goes exactly where you want it to. So I focus on execution and going after big wickets. Obviously getting big batters out gives a different kind of happiness and if you look at my IPL record, most of my wickets are big players because that\u2019s always been my mindset.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked on how happy he was with his spell, Akash said, \u201cI was happy, but at the same time 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, practicing and focusing on whatever was in my control.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI try to think like I\u2019m bowling in single-wicket cricket where execution matters the most. In those situations, your body flows naturally and the ball goes exactly where you want it to. So I focus on execution and going after big wickets. Obviously getting big batters out gives a different kind of happiness and if you look at my IPL record, most of my wickets are big players because that\u2019s always been my mindset.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe knew from the previous game how they had dominated and where their weaknesses were, so my attempt was to combine my style with those areas and execute accordingly. That was the plan and thankfully it worked,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n