5 times when cricketers made controversial comments on IPL/IPL teams

The Indian Premier League (IPL) hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is regarded as one of the best franchise sports leagues across the world. Every year, the T20 Extravaganza witnesses legendary players from all over the world participating in the league and putting their best effort to win the elite T20 title for their respective franchises.

However, over the years, there have been times when the world-class T20 tournament has hogged all the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Many times the former or current cricket players have made some controversial statements regarding the league or the franchises that have managed to create a stir on social media.

Here are 5 times when cricketers made controversial comments on IPL/IPL teams

Dale Steyn on IPL

South Africa’s veteran seamer Dale Steyn has formed an integral part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for over a decade now having representing teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Deccan Chargers, and Gujarat Lions. However, Steyn decided to pull out his name from the 14th edition of the T20 Extravaganza due to unknown reasons but is participating in other franchise leagues across the globe.

As the pace spearhead is plying his trade in the 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he delivered an unexpected statement regarding IPL that left the Indian fans stunned and made Dale Steyn an easy target of trolls and hate on social media. The Proteas cricketer reckoned that there is too much emphasis on money in the IPL and that cricket takes a back seat.

“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,” Dale Steyn was quoted as saying.

However, after facing serious backlash, Steyn took to his official Twitter handle to apologize and asserted that he didn’t want to hurt anybody’s emotions.