Home Cricket In IPL, There Is So Much Focus On Money That Cricket Gets Forgotten Unlike PSL, Claims Dale Steyn

In IPL, There Is So Much Focus On Money That Cricket Gets Forgotten Unlike PSL, Claims Dale Steyn

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In IPL, There Is So Much Focus On Money That Cricket Gets Forgotten Unlike PSL, Claims Dale Steyn

South African bowling legend Dale Steyn has asserted that the focus in IPL remains on money while cricket takes a backseat which is not the case in leagues like PSL and LPL respectively. He also added that Pakistan is a breeding ground for fast bowlers and applauded the batsmanship of Babar Azam.

Generally, cricket fans in India and Pakistan compare the quality of both the IPL and PSL. They are among the most famous franchise based leagues in the cricket world. While nothing matches IPL in terms of the availability of world-class players and money, BBL, PSL and CPL have also made a very special place for themselves in the T20 leagues of the world.

Dale Steyn, who had earlier announced that he will be missing this year’s edition of the IPL, and is currently participating in the PSL, has asserted that he finds smaller leagues like PSL and LPL more rewarding than the IPL. He also revealed that in the cash-rich Indian league there are times when he feels there is more emphasis on the money with cricket taking a backseat.

“I wanted to take a bit more time off. I found that playing in those other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player. I think when you go to the IPL there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on the amount of money that the players earn that somewhere along the line the cricket kind of gets forgotten. When you come to the PSL or the LPL, there’s an importance on the cricket,” Steyn told Cricket Pakistan, reported ESPN Cricinfo.

Over the years, Dale Steyn’s value in the shortest format has been on the decline. The right-arm pacer, who was part of the 2020 IPL, only played three games and gave away 133 runs in 11.4 overs for just one wicket. He was made to warm the bench in most of the games for RCB as they didn’t trust him enough, owing to his poor displays. However, in the PSL, he has been part of the Quetta Gladiators side in each of their three games thus far. Steyn revealed that a lot of players come up to him and want to learn things in the PSL, unlike the IPL where the talks are mostly around money.

“I’ve only been here a couple of days and I’ve had people coming to my room asking where I played and how I went about it. In the IPL, that kind of gets forgotten and the main topic is how much money you went for this IPL. And that’s just me being brutally honest. I just wanted to stay away from that this year and put more emphasis on bringing good vibes to teams and tournaments I feel are worth it.”

The Proteas veteran also termed Pakistan the ‘breeding’ ground for a fast bowler and stated that he was really impressed with fast bowler Haris Rauf.

“There is a breeding machine of fast bowlers here in Pakistan, which is great to see because the wickets are not conducive to fast bowlers. I had a chat with Shaheen [Afridi] last year – I think he broke his thumb. He was down but he was amazing. At Melbourne Stars, I had Haris Rauf with me, and I was really impressed by him. Not long after that, he played for Pakistan.”