Cricket gets forgotten in IPL, PSL is more rewarding: Dale Steyn

Former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has made a statement that playing in the Pakistan Super League is “more rewarding” than featuring in the Indian Premier League. In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Steyn said that cricket takes a back seat in the 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,” said Steyn.

Steyn further said that while he is playing the IPL, the right-arm pacer is generally asked about the money he is getting and no one really talks about the game. “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 who has been a part of RCB and SRH in the past editions of the IPL before opting out of the upcoming season is playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.

The IPL schedule is yet to be announced by the BCCI. The mini auctions were held in Chennai last month where South Africa’s Chris Morris became the costliest player after being bought by Rajasthan Royals for a sum of Rs. 16.25 Cr.

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MS Dhoni to attend CSK training camp

Former India skipper MS Dhoni would begin his training for the upcoming IPL 2021 this month and is likely to join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp on March 11. A franchise official while talking confirmed that the CSK captain would be attending the camp. “Yes, we are expecting all players to start coming in batches. Captain MS Dhoni will be available and attending the camp from day one. Players availability should not be an issue. We are very hopeful that the camp will successfully begin and we will strictly follow the same bio-bubble protocol and no additional measures are required to be taken at this stage. We have put in place stringent health and safety protocols for the camp and all the participants will follow mandatory testing,’ a franchise official confirmed to Inside Sport. CSK faced few problems last year after a number of cricketers including players like Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad were tested positive for COVID-19. The official said that the franchise will take additional measures in the tough times. “Last year it was unfortunate and we have learnt our lesson. This year we hope and pray nothing like that happens but as of now, we don’t see any reason why additional measures should be taken. We trust our contingency and logistical plans.” CSK bought Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara during the IPL 2021 mini auctions held in Chennai last month. The Chennai franchise is the second-most successful IPL team after Mumbai Indians. They have won the title thrice but they had a forgettable run in the last edition of the cash-rich league after the side was knocked out of the tournament in the league stage. This was the first time when CSK didn’t make it to the play-offs. Dhoni who hung his boots from international cricket on August 15 last year has been leading the team right from the beginning. Though, CSK was one of the two teams apart from Rajasthan Royals to be banned for a couple of years from the tournament after being involved in a spot-fixing scandal. CSK and RR didn’t feature in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the IPL.

IND vs ENG: Rested for T20Is, Jasprit Bumrah likely to miss ODI series as well

Cricket fans might have seen the last of Jasprit Bumrah for some time in Indian colours as the speedster is set for an extended period of time away from the action, and will miss the entire white-ball leg of the series against England. He has been released from the squad for the fourth and final Test of the series against England, and earlier was rested for the T20 series that will follow the Test series. Now, as per a Cricbuzz report, Bumrah is set to miss the ODI series against England as well. Notably, he was released from the squad due to ‘personal reasons’ and his rest is all set to be extended. Bumrah’s break from the game will serve both him and the Indian team very well as he has been a constant part of the team across all formats since the start of the IPL last year. He had also missed the last Test of the series against Australia in Brisbane, and India will not be willing to take a chance on his fitness in the fourth Test against England, especially with another spin-friendly pitch is in the offer for the game. He has spent a lot of time in bio-secure bubbles and with India standing close to qualifying for the World Test Championship final and a five-match Test series against England in England, the team would want to have him fresh and raring to go later in the summer. India lead the ongoing Test series by 2-1 and if they can avert a loss in the final game of the series, they will be through to the WTC final scheduled to be played at Lord’s. In case of their loss, Australia will be through to the finals with England already out of the race after the loss in the last game.

Head coach Ravi Shastri receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

India head coach Ravi Shastri took the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Ahmedabad. Shastri took to social media and wrote, “Got the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Thank you to the amazing medical professionals & scientists for empowering India Flag of India against the pandemic,” he wrote. “Extremely impressed with the professionalism shown by Kantaben & her team at Apollo, Ahmedabad in dealing with COVID-19 vaccination,” Shastri added. The former Indian cricketer is with the Indian team in Ahmedabad for the England series. India lead the four-match Test series 2-1 after winning the third clash by 10 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The visitors won the first match in Chennai but the home side made a fine return to win the next two. With the defeat against India in the third match, England have been knocked out of the World Test Championship final. If the Indian team clinches a win or manages a draw in the fourth Test against England in Ahmedabad, the Virat Kohli-led side will march into the final to be played against New Zealand at the Lord’s. But if India suffer a defeat against England in the final Test, then Australia will lock horns with the Blackcaps at Lord’s in the summit clash. India will play five T20Is and three ODIs after the Test series is concluded.

Steve Waugh calls Virat Kohli 'modern-day hero' for bringing 'new attitude' of India

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has been capturing the landscape of Indian cricket for a documentary named "Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh in India." Waugh has heaped praise on Indian skipper Virat Kohli for taking every challenge head-on and ward off the fear of intimidation from opponents. Waugh added that Kohli has refreshed the attitude of Indian cricketers and has instilled the confidence of pulling everything off in young players, and hence fans have treated him as a modern-day hero. "What they love about Kohli is that it's like the new attitude of India, get stuck in, don't be intimidated. Take everything on and anything is achievable and possible. But he's like the modern-day hero," Waugh was quoted as saying. On the point of producing the documentary on Indian cricket, Waugh said that the idea was very close to his heart as it involves two essential elements of his passion-- Cricket and Photography. He expressed optimism on fans liking the concept of capturing the emotions of Indian cricket and its fans in his documentary. "Capturing Cricket is especially very near to my heart as it covers two of my passions i.e. cricket and photography. I am positive that when the fans in India watch the documentary, they will be able to feel the very emotion of the journey." The documentary which has been written by Mithila Gupta and narrated by Harsha Bhogle also has interviews of all-time greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist and former Australian women’s captain Lisa Sthalekar. It is a 60-minute long documentary directed by Nel Minchin and will be broadcasted in India via Discovery+.