PSL is all about cricket, IPL more of money: Dale Steyn

ISLAMABAD: Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn believes the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was all about cricket whereas the Indian Premier League (IPL) was more of money.

Dale Steyn, who is playing for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing HBL PSL 6, believes that the Indian Premier League was less rewarding as compared to other leagues in the world.

Steyn said that cricket gets forgotten, amid money talks, in the IPL which was why he decided against playing the last season.

“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,” cricketpakistan.com.pk quoted him as saying.

“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 said.

Steyn also lauded Pakistan’s ability to produce great fast-bowlers frequently and heaped praise on Pakistan’s young pacers, like Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.

“There is a breeding machine of fast-bowlers here in Pakistan, which is great to see because the wickets are not conducive for fast bowlers so to see so many fast-bowlers come out of here is fantastic to see,” he said. He also lauded Pakistan’s captain and one of the best T20 players in the world, Babar Azam.