PSL Is More Rewarding Than The IPL: Dale Steyn
Updated - 02 Mar 2021, 02:52 PM
Former South African pacer Dale Steyn feels that Pakistan Super League [PSL] is more rewarding than the Indian Premier League [IPL] and that is the major reason behind him opting-out from the cash-rich league earlier this year.
Back in January, Dale Steyn, who has represented teams like Deccan Chargers, SunRisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past, had taken to Twitter to announce that he has withdrawn from the 14th season of the cash-rich IPL but he will continue to play in other franchise-based leagues around the world.
According to Dale Steyn, all the talk in the IPL is about the money that a particular player went for in the auction, and with the presence of so many superstars and bloated squads, the actual cricket sometimes takes the backseat. Steyn reckoned that the same is not the case when it comes to PSL or Lanka Premier League and that is the reason why he decided to stay away from the lucrative league and instead focus on bringing good vibes to tournaments that are ‘worth it’.
“I wanted some time off. I found that playing in these other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player. I think when you go to IPL, there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on maybe the amount of money players earn and everything like that, so sometimes, somewhere down the line, cricket gets forgotten,” said Steyn to Cricket Pakistan.
“When you come to like a PSL or the Sri Lankan Premier League, for that matter, there is an importance on the cricket. I have only been here for a couple of days and I have had people in and out of my room, just wanting to know about where I have played and how I went about it. Whereas, when I go to something like the IPL that gets forgotten and the main topic is how much money did you go for in this IPL? That’s just me being brutally honest. I wanted to stay away from that and really put more emphasis on playing and bringing good vibes to good cricket teams and tournaments I feel are worth it,” he added.
IPL is less rewarding as compared to PSL and other leagues. cricket gets forgotten, amid money talks, in the IPL which is why i decided against playing the last season. There is breeding machine of fast-bowlers here in Pakistan which is great to see.Dale Steyn(Express tribune) pic.twitter.com/dLa6dIy66E
— Saleem Khaliq (@saleemkhaliq) March 2, 2021
Dale Steyn featured for the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020 where he was forced to warm the bench for most parts of the season due to his horrendous form. In 3 games, the former Proteas cricketer managed just one wicket at an average of 133 and a strike-rate of 11.40. He hasn’t had a great start to his PSL 2021 campaign either as he was smashed to all corners of the ground by Wahab Riaz at the death during Quetta Gladiators’ three-wicket defeat to Peshawar Zalmi.
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Indian Premier League (IPL) Pakistan Super League (PSL)
