An Answer To Dale Steyn: 5 Reasons Why IPL Is 'More Rewarding' Than PSL

After South African cricketer Dale Steyn termed Pakistan Super League (PSL) more rewarding than the Indian Premier League (IPL), the IPL vs PSL debate has become a talking point among cricket fans. During a recent interview with Cricket Pakistan, Dale Steyn mentioned that there is more importance to cricket in PSL than IPL. He pointed out that in PSL, people enquire about where and how he has played in the past. Whereas in the Indian league, people are mostly concerned about how much money a player has made.

India and Pakistan have a long and interesting history of cricket rivalry and the IPL vs PSL debate is a result of the same. Indian Premier League started in 2008 and has been a popular cricket tournament in India, with millions of fans following the teams involved in the tournament. On the other hand, Pakistan Super League started in 2015 and is also a popular cricket tournament in Pakistan. As the Indian Premier League vs Pakistan Super League debate has become the latest trending topic among cricket fans, here we look at five reasons why the Indian Premier League is better than PSL.

An Answer To Dale Steyn: 5 Reasons Why IPL Is Better Than PSL

1. More Teams, More Matches, More Entertainment

Indian Premier League consists of 8 teams who compete to win the title. Eight teams participate in a double round-robin format during the group stage in the Indian Premier League, which increases the number of matches. Each team plays 14 matches in the group stages and there are 4 more matches played during the playoffs. On the other hand, PSL consists of 6 teams, which were 5 in the first two editions. The teams also participate in a double round-robin format in the group stages.

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More number of teams in the Indian Premier League means that there are more matches played in the tournament than PSL. More matches mean the tournament is held for a longer time. Also, more teams in the tournament arise nail-biting competitions for making it to the playoffs, as there are more opportunities for teams to qualify for playoffs. Hence, the Indian Premier League entertains fans for a longer time than PSL.

2. IPL Has Produced More Match Winners for National Team

The Indian Premier League has given excellent opportunities to many players to showcase their talent and invite a call to the national team. Youngsters like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, T Natrajan, Jasprit Bumrah are examples of some Indian cricketers who came to the limelight from their spectacular performances in the Indian Premier Leagues.

These players went on to represent the national team and earned worldwide appreciation. Hence, the Indian Premier League gives players a platform where they can showcase their skills to earn a call for the national team. On the other hand, PSL has failed to do so for Pakistan.

3. IPL More Secure Than PSL

After the tragic terror attack on Sri Lanka cricketers in 2008, Pakistan has been considered an insecure venue to host cricket matches. After the horrific incident, ICC stripped Pakistan from hosting any cricket match due to security concerns. Many cricket boards still refrain from playing matches in Pakistan due to security concerns. The first PSL season in 2016 was also hosted in UAE due to security issues. Later, after the situation became better, PSL tournaments were hosted in Pakistan.

Also Read: IPL 2021: 4 Cricketers Who Found PSL ‘More Rewarding’ Than IPL

On the other hand, India has been an unquestionably safe nation to play cricket. India has hosted multiple ICC tournaments in the last decade which went smoothly. Moreover, the infrastructure for cricket in India is far more developed than in Pakistan. India has more cricket grounds and more facilities available for players. Therefore, on the matter of security, the Indian Premier League rates far better than PSL.

4. More Money In IPL

In terms of money, the Indian Premier League is far bigger and brighter than PSL. For instance, PSL’s title sponsor invested about Rs. 102 crore for a three-year-contract in 2019. In contrast, IPL’s title sponsor Dream11 spent Rs. 222 crore for just a one-year-contract. The price fell due to the worldwide corona pandemic. For a two-year contract, Vivo had paid approx. Rs. 439 crore in IPL 2018.

Players also get far more money in IPL than PSL. For instance, the costliest contract in PSL 2020 auction was approx. Rs. 1.02 crore (USD 140,000), which was allotted to 19 players. In IPL 2021, Chris Morris bagged the costliest contract at Rs. 16.25 crores. Moreover, there were 10 players with Rs. 2 crore base price, 12 players with Rs. 1.5 crore base price and 11 players with Rs. 1 crore base price. These facts clearly give an impression of the financial difference between both the domestic league.

5. Intense Competition in IPL than PSL

There are eight teams in an Indian Premier League tournament and there are four teams that qualify for playoffs. Due to more number of teams, there is an intense and nail-biting competition to enter the playoffs. The race to playoffs becomes more intense as the tournament progresses. Even among the players, there is intense competition to be the best. For the overseas players, there are only 4 spots in the playing 11.

This makes the cricketers give their level-best performance so that they can be part of the playing 11 during the tournament. Domestic players very well know that the Indian Premier League is a great platform to invite a call from the national team. Therefore, the domestic players to are involved in intense competition to give their best in the Indian Premier League, which will give them an opportunity to represent the nation at the international level.

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