South African fast bowler Dale Steyn prefers playing in the Lanka Premier League and Pakistan Super League than the Indian Premier League.
Steyn is currently with the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL. Late last year he represented the Kandy Tuskers in the LPL.
He had played just three matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2020 IPL – and was unavailable for purchase during the player auction for the 2021 edition of the tournament.
“I wanted some time off. I found that playing in these other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player,” Steyn told Cricket Pakistan.
“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.
“When you come to like a PSL or the Lanka Premier League, for that matter, there is an importance on the cricket.
“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.”
The 37-year-old Steyn has not played international cricket since 2019. He has retired from Test competition, but remains available for ODI and T20I selection.
Fellow South African Chris Morris was recently purchased by the Rajasthan Royals for the record sum of R32 million.