Lalit Modi slammed by fans after echoing Dale Steyn's anti-IPL views in viral 2018 tweet

South African speedster Dale Steyn created a massive controversy on Tuesday by sharing his experiences of playing in IPL and compared the tournament with PSL and the Sri Lankan Premier League. In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, the right-arm pacer said that playing in IPL is 'less rewarding' as compared to playing in leagues like PSL and LPL. Interestingly, the 37-year-old speedster has featured in 11 IPL seasons ever since he made his debut in the inaugural edition back in 2008.

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IPL founder Lalit Modi agrees with Dale Steyn statement on IPL

Dale Steyn claimed that he notices an 'importance on cricket' among players from PSL and Sri Lankan Premier League. On the other hand, he described IPL as a tournament where cricket often gets “forgotten” as the main topic remains: “How much money did you go for in this IPL?”. The Dale Steyn statement on the IPL got the fans buzzing as an unabating discussion on the same began on social media with fans, as well, as cricketers having their say.

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Co-incidentally, the founder & first chairman and commissioner of the IPL, Lalit Modi had also opened up on the entire matter back in April 2018 and to everyone's surprise, the 57-year old has echoed Dale Steyn's views about the IPL. Modi took to Twitter and shared a tweet in which Australian journalist Dennis Freedman claimed in a column he wrote for Dawn where he has spoken in length about how IPL is all about money and power while PSL is all about pure cricket. Sharing the article, Modi lauded Freedman for the interview, while also accusing the BCCI of constantly changing the model of the competition.

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Lalit Modi's tweet, which indirectly supported the Dale Steyn IPL statement, didn't go down well with Indian fans. Several reactions poured in as fans slammed the IPL founder for his anti-IPL views. It is worth mentioning that Freedman is renowned for his controversial statements against Indian cricketers.

Over the years, the Australian has posted several tweets, pictures, and videos against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir among others. Freedman is an avid fan of Pakistan cricket and he has also made a documentary on the same. The controversy comes at the time of Dale Steyn being an integral part of the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL 2021.

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SOURCE: PTI/ DALE STEYN INSTAGRAM