NEW DELHI: South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has said that sometimes emphasis may be placed on the amount a player is bought for in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and as a result, cricket ends up taking a backseat.
The pacer also hinted that other leagues are more rewarding to him as a player as compared to the most successful domestic T20 league -- IPL. Steyn is currently playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super 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.
Last year, the Proteas pace sensation had said that he would not be playing in this year's IPL as he wanted some time off. He added that he took the break as he needed time off from the game and also because he found playing in other leagues around the world more rewarding as a player.
"When you come to like the PSL or the Sri Lankan Premier League, for that matter, there is an importance on 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," Steyn said.
"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.
As a result, Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) released him from their squad.
Steyn had played three matches in the IPL 2020 for RCB and he returned with just one wicket.
The pacer had announced his retirement from Test cricket in August 2019 and he bid adieu to the longest format as South Africa's highest wicket-taker with the red ball.
(With PTI inputs)