Playing in PSL more rewarding than in IPL: Dale Steyn

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has said playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is less rewarding than playing in other leagues when it comes to giving importance to cricket. One of the greatest pacers of this era, Steyn has plied his trade for T20 franchises across the globe. In addition to playing in the IPL, he has played in Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League, Lanka Premier League, T20 Blast and other T20 tournaments across the world.

And while IPL is widely regarded as the most successful and biggest T20 tournament in the world, Dale Steyn believes playing in other leagues is more rewarding as a cricketer. The veteran bowler is currently playing for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Wanted to put more emphasis on playing: Dale Steyn

Speaking about his experience of IPL, Dale Steyn said that cricket gets forgotten sometimes amid money talks. It was one of the reasons why he pulled out of IPL 2021 earlier this year. Dale Steyn had a dismal campaign in IPL 2020 where he had struggled to get into Royal Challengers Bangalore’s playing XI. Overall, he played three games and managed to take just one wicket.

“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,” Dale Steyn told Cricket Pakistan.

“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. Overall, Dale Steyn played 95 games in IPL and represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Lions. He picked up 97 wickets in his IPL career and maintained an impressive economy rate of 6.91.