Picture Credit: Twitter/Dale Steyn
South African speedster Dale Steyn has issued a public apology after his comments on the Indian Premier League upset the cricket fans across the world. The 37-year-old, who is currently playing in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, had sparked the controversy after claiming that there is more focus on money than cricket in IPL. Steyn had stated that other leagues like PSL and LPL give more importance to cricket as compared to IPL.
My words were never intended to be degrading: Dale Steyn
The 37-year-old posted a tweet on Wednesday, explaining that he never intended to compare any leagues. He claimed that he has had an amazing time playing the Indian Premier League and his words were unfortunately taken out of context.
IPL gave the platform to express ourselves: Ajinkya Rahane
Ahead of the fourth Test against England, Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked about his opinion on Dale Steyn’s comments. The 32-year-old responded, “IPL gave the platform to express ourselves, to a lot of Indians and overseas players. I don’t know what Dale Steyn said, but we’re here to talk about the Test match.”
Steyn’s illustrious IPL career
Dale Steyn has had a pretty long career in the Indian Premier League. The fast-bowler has been playing the tournament since 2008, taking 97 wickets in the 95 appearances so far. He has played for various franchises in IPL, including Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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However, the last few years have been less rewarding for Steyn. He has only played 12 games since 2015, as he has been suffering from various injuries. After the pacer came as a replacement player for RCB last season, he had a pretty difficult time. He could manage to take only 1 wicket in 3 matches, conceding runs at an economy of 11.40 before getting injured. The 37-year-old later withdrew his name from the RCB squad ahead of the 2021 season.
Steyn is currently playing for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2021 and has taken 3 wickets in 2 matches so far.
