Dale Steyn took to Twitter to clarify his stance on the controversy that erupted after an interview, in which the South Africa pacer was explaining why he opted out of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), went viral on social media. Steyn said his words were never intended to be degrading, insulting or comparing any cricket leagues and added that IPL has been "nothing short of amazing" in his career. "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 that is given to an individual.
"I have found that playing in other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player," Steyn had told YouTube channel Cricket Pakistan.
"When you go to IPL, there's such big squads and there's so many big names and there's so much emphasis on the amount of money that the players earn that sometimes, somewhere along the line the cricket gets forgotten," he had said.
Steyn had opted out of the IPL 2021 player auction. The South African pacer was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in last year's IPL but was released by the franchise ahead of player auction.
He is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League, representing Quetta Gladiators in the T20 tournament.