After South African speed merchant Dale Steyn weighed in on the IPL versus PSL debate, Indian Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has issued a stern response in the favour of domestic cricket’s biggest extravaganza on Tuesday.
Ajinkya Rahane response to Dale Steyn
Ahead of the fourth Test between India and England in Ahmedabad, Ajinkya Rahane was asked his views on Dale Steyn’s comments that the Pakistan Super League was more rewarding as a player than the Indian Premier League.
“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,” 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,” Steyn added.
Indian Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked about his views on Steyn’s comments during a virtual press conference ahead of India’s fourth Test against England. While Rahane said he didn’t know about what Steyn had said, he opined that IPL has given a big platform to cricketers over the years.
“See, I am here to talk about the fourth Test match and not here to talk about PSL or Sri Lanka Premier League. IPL gave us that platform to express ourselves and also to a lot of Indians players. I am not sure what Dale Steyn has said, I am here to talk about this Test match,” said Rahane during a virtual press conference.
Also read: Indian Premier League(IPL) 2021: Full schedule, Squad Details (Updated)
