Bengaluru, March 3: South Africa pace great Dale Steyn has apologised for his comments on the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying he never intended to "degrade, insult or compare" the world's biggest franchise-based T20 tournament to leagues around the world.
The 37-year-old veteran fast bowler took to Twitter on Wednesday (March 3) to defend his statement and added that it was taken out of context in social media.
"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," Steyn tweeted.
"My apologies if this has upset anyone."
IPL has been nothing short of amazing in my career, as well as other players too.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 3, 2021
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's apology came a day after he claimed on the sidelines of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), that money is given more importance than the game in the IPL and the other leagues are more rewarding compared to the cash-rich league.
"I think when you go to the 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, who was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in the last IPL held in the UAE, had stated.
In January this year, Steyn announced that he is opting out of the IPL 2021 but will play other leagues around the world. Steyn's decision led to RCB releasing him ahead of the auction.
Steyn, who represented RCB, Sunrisers Hyderabad and the defunct Gujarat Lions, played 95 IPL matches, picking up 97 wickets with a best of 3 for 8. But the South African's repeated injury breakdowns didn't help his cause and he featured in just 12 IPL matches in the last three seasons.
(With PTI inputs)