Dale Steyn took to Twitter to clarify his stance on the controversy that erupted after an interview went viral on social media in which the South Africa pacer was explaining why he opted out of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

Steyn said his words were never intended to be degrading, insulting or comparing any cricket leagues. “IPL has been nothing short of amazing in my career, as well as other players too. My words were never intended to be degrading, insulting, or comparing of any leagues. Social media and words out of context can often do that. My apologies if this has upset anyone.
Much love,” Steyn tweeted.

Steyn had mentioned that in IPL with so many big names in every squad, the attention shifts away from cricket and there is more emphasis on the amount of money is given to an individual.

South African legend Dale Steyn said he found playing in leagues like Lanka Premier League & Pakistan Super League ‘more rewarding’ as a player compared to the Indian Premier League. Steyn explained that there is too much focus on money in the IPL and ‘cricket gets forgotten’, while the game remains the central focus in other leagues.

Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Steyn explained his decision to stay away from IPL 2021:

“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,” said Steyn.

“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.

Steyn had pulled out of IPL 2021 while stressing he was not retiring from the game. He was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore side in IPL 2020 but played only three matches picking up one wicket at an economy of 11.40.

Since 2015, Steyn has played only 12 matches in IPL.

In 2019, Steyn had come into RCB as a replacement player and played a couple of games before injuring his shoulder, which ended up hurting his World Cup plans as he was ruled out with injury.

Steyn has overall played 95 IPL matches for 97 wickets at an economy of 6.91. He has represented Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past. (With inputs from NDTV)