Dale Steyn 

NEWS18: South African legend Dale Steyn said he found playing in leagues like Lanka Premier League and Pakistan Super League ‘more rewarding’ as a player compared to the Indian Premier League.

Steyn explained that there is too much focus on money in the IPL and ‘cricket gets forgotten’, while the game remains the central focus in other leagues.

Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Steyn explained his decision to stay away from IPL 2021: “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.

“When you come to like a PSL or the Lanka Premier League (LPL), 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.

Steyn represented Kandy Tuskers in the LPL.

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