IPL 2021: 4 Cricketers Who Found PSL

The IPL vs PSL debate is becoming a talking point among cricket fans after few cricketers spoke in favor of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Indian Premier League is considered the biggest T20 tournament on the basis of viewership and money involved. Indian Premier League is like a cricket festival in India. Thousands of cricket fans throng the cricket stadiums to cheer for their favorite IPL teams.  Read More Australia Tour Of New Zealand, 2021, cricket news

Moreover, millions of cricket fans constantly watch matches on their televisions and smartphones, which upsurge the viewership of IPL matches to a top-level. On the other hand, Pakistan Super League has taken cricket back to Pakistan. Like India, cricket has a great fan following in Pakistan. 

Cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan has a long history. The two countries have battled multiple wars since their independence in 1947. At the political level, the two nations have been constantly at war on the global stage. This political rivalry has also given rise to cricket rivalry among the two nations. Read More White-ball leaving batsmen in a spin, says Kohli

Presently, IPL vs PSL debate is the latest trend of this India-Pakistan cricket rivalry. After few cricketers shared their opinion about both the leagues, the IPL vs PSL debate acquired cricket fans' attention. Few cricketers also named PSL as more rewarding as compared to IPL, which attracted cricket fans' reaction to their opinions on social media. Here we look at 4 players who found PSL 'more rewarding' than IPL, Read More  IPL 2021 Date, Schedule, Venues, Fixtures, Squads

IPL 2021: 4 Players Who Found PSL 'More Rewarding' Than IPL 

Dale Steyn 

South African cricketer Dale Steyn favored PSL over IPL when he revealed the reason to opt-out of IPL 2021. The South African pacer feels that because of more emphasis on players' money and big squads, cricket gets forgotten in IPL. 

"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 was cited by Cricket Pakistan. 

The right-handed bowler also mentioned that in PSL people want to know where and how I have played so far. Whereas in IPL, people enquire about how much money a player has made. 

"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 great vibes to great cricket teams and tournaments I feel are awesome," he added. 

Darren Sammy did not share elaborate opinions on liking PSL more than IPL, however, he did mention that he likes PSL more. During an ESPNcricinfo show 'You have to Answer', the West Indies all-rounder answered his favorite selection from a couple of options. When he was questioned about 'IPL or PSL', the former West Indies' skipper picked PSL. Although Darren Sammy took a pause to choose his favorite league among the two, he went with Pakistan Premier League. 

Darren Sammy has been active in the two leagues. In PSL, he has been part of Peshawar Zalmi since 2016. In IPL, he addressed Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2013 to 2014, Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2015 to 2016, and Kings XI Punjab since 2017. However, Sammy is more active in Pakistan Super League than the Indian Premier League. 

Former Australia cricketer Brad Hogg is another cricketer who found PSL more rewarding than the Indian Premier League. During a question and answer session on Twitter, Brad Hogg mentioned that PSL is most prevalent as it repurchased cricket to Pakistan. 

When a Twitter user asked him to rate IPL and PSL on a scale of 10, Hogg expressed, "Both 9 out of 10. The PSL has been the most prevalent of late because it has repurchased the game to Pakistan. The IPL has the most interest in viewership worldwide." 

Although the former spin bowler Brad Hogg followed diplomacy while rating the two domestic T20 leagues, he slightly favored the Pakistan Super League calling it most prevalent. 

Wasim Akram 

Former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram has been part of both the Indian league and PSL. In a Youtube video, the former left-arm pacer mentioned that PSL has a preferred quality of bowling over IPL. However, Akram also pointed out that many foreign players also feel the same. 

"In IPL, you tend to find one bowler in each team whom you can attack (as a batsman). But in PSL the quality of bowling is much better compared to IPL according to foreign players. The five years that I have been part of PSL, I have asked foreign players about the differences between the two leagues, and they always say 'bowling level is great in PSL'," Akram was cited as saying in the Youtube video.