Dale Steyn breaks silence on IPL vs PSL controversy
March 03, 2021
- Steyn says his words never meant to degrade, insult or compare any of the cricket leagues
- "IPL has been nothing short of amazing in my career," says the fast bowler
- Steyn had said a day earlier that PSL and IPL focused more on cricket whereas in the IPL, the cricket "kind of gets forgotten"
South African bowler Dale Steyn has issued a clarification over his comments from the other day when he said that "the cricket kind of gets forgotten" in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The right-arm fast bowler, who is playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL 2021, had courted controversy when he said that the LPL and the PSL focus more on cricket compared to the IPL.
"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," he had said.
After his comments, Indian fans came after the bowler on Twitter, incensed at the fact that he praised the PSL over the IPL.
Read more: Indians lash out at Dale Steyn for saying 'cricket is forgotten' in 'money-focused' IPL
On Wednesday, he took to Twitter to apologise for his remarks, stating that "IPL has been nothing short of amazing in my career".
Steyn said that he had not intended to degrade, insult or compare any of the cricket leagues. "Social media and words out of context can often do that. My apologies if this has upset anyone. Much love," he tweeted.
The South African pacer has had an impressive record as far as the IPL is concerned. The highest auction price for the fast bowler came in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015, when Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up for INR 9.5 crore (approx. USD 1.3 million today). He has taken 97 IPL wickets at 6.91, making him one of the most economical bowlers of the cricket league.
Indians lash out at Dale Steyn for saying 'cricket is forgotten' in 'money-focused' IPL
The reaction from most Indian IPL fans on Twitter was quite aggressive, with some hurling personal insults at Steyn.
"One fan shared a meme on behalf of "every IPL fan" which said: "Aye tu chup re. Tereko kuch maloom nai. (Oh shut up, you. You know nothing)."
"If anyone has problems with IPL, don't bark, we Indians are happy to see our stars here," wrote one user.
When CricBlog discouraged disrespectful comments towards the South African bowler, one wrote: "He was getting bashed anyway. He was going to be unsold in this IPL as well. Poor remarks by Steyn; could have avoided them."
