IPL 2021: 4 Cricketers Who Found PSL 'More Rewarding' Than IPL

The IPL vs PSL debate is becoming a talking point among cricket fans after few cricketers spoke in favour of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Indian Premier League is considered the biggest T20 tournament on the basis of viewership and money involved. Indian Premier League is like a cricket festival in India.  Thousands of cricket fans throng the cricket stadiums to cheer for their favourite IPL teams.

Moreover, millions of cricket fans constantly watch matches on their televisions and smartphones, which upsurge the viewership of IPL matches to a top-level. On the other hand, Pakistan Super League has brought cricket back to Pakistan. Like India, cricket has a great fan following in Pakistan.

Cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan has a long history. The two countries have fought multiple wars since their independence in 1947. At the political level, the two nations have been constantly at war on the global stage. This political rivalry has also given rise to cricket rivalry among both nations.

Now, IPL vs PSL debate is the latest trend of this India-Pakistan cricket rivalry. After few cricketers shared their opinion about both the leagues, the IPL vs PSL debate acquired cricket fans’ attention. Few cricketers also termed PSL as more rewarding as compared to IPL, which drew cricket fans’ reaction to their opinions on social media. Here we look at 4 players who found PSL ‘more rewarding’ than IPL.

IPL 2021: 4 Players Who Found PSL ‘More Rewarding’ Than IPL

Dale Steyn

South African cricketer Dale Steyn favoured PSL over IPL when he revealed the reason to opt-out of IPL 2021. The South African pacer feels that due to more emphasis on players’ money and big squads, cricket gets forgotten in IPL.

“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,” Steyn was quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

The right-handed bowler also mentioned that in PSL people want to know where and how I have played so far. Whereas in IPL, people enquire about how much money a player has made.

“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.

Darren Sammy

Darren Sammy did not share elaborate opinions on liking PSL more than IPL, however, he did mention that he likes PSL more. During an ESPNcricinfo show ‘You have to Answer’, the West Indies all-rounder answered his favourite selection from a couple of options. When he was questioned about ‘IPL or PSL’, the former West Indies’ skipper chose PSL. Although Darren Sammy took a pause to select his favourite league among the two, he went with Pakistan Premier League.

Darren Sammy has been active in both leagues. In PSL, he has been part of Peshawar Zalmi since 2016. In IPL, he represented Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2013 to 2014, Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2015 to 2016, and Kings XI Punjab since 2017. However, Sammy is more active in Pakistan Super League than the Indian Premier League.

Brad Hogg

Former Australia cricketer Brad Hogg is another cricketer who found PSL more rewarding than the Indian Premier League. During a Q & A session on Twitter, Brad Hogg mentioned that PSL is most prevalent as it bought cricket back to Pakistan.

When a Twitter user asked him to rate IPL and PSL on a scale of 10, Hogg wrote, “Both 9 out of 10. The PSL has been the most prevalent of late because it has bought the game back to Pakistan. The IPL has the most interest in viewership worldwide.”

Although the former spin bowler Brad Hogg followed diplomacy while rating the two domestic T20 leagues, he slightly favoured the Pakistan Super League calling it most prevalent.

Wasim Akram

Former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram has been part of both the Indian league and PSL. In a Youtube video, the former left-arm pacer mentioned that PSL has a better quality of bowling than IPL. However, Akram also pointed out that many foreign players also feel the same.

“In IPL, you tend to find one bowler in every team whom you can attack (as a batsman). But in PSL the quality of bowling is a lot better than IPL according to foreign players. The five years that I have been part of PSL, I have asked foreign players about the differences between the two leagues, and they always say ‘bowling level is great in PSL’,” Akram was quoted as saying in the Youtube video.