Sam Billings reveals why he opted out of IPL 2023 but played in PSL 2023
The biggest sporting event in cricket is to get started in a day's time. The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League will be played in a home-and-away format, with teams playing their games at home after a gap of three seasons.
The first game will feature the Chennai Super Kings taking on the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31. With an action-packed tournament coming up, some teams are missing some of their players due to injuries, while others are missing them for other various reasons.
The English star wicketkeeper Sam Billings was one notable name that decided to opt out of the coming season. He was part of the two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022 and featured in 8 games. Billings was signed by KKR for INR 2 crore and scored 169 runs at an average of 24.14.
Earlier, he announced his decision on Twitter, "Have taken the tough decision that I won’t be taking part in the next IPL @KKRiders. Looking to focus on longer format cricket at the start of the English summer with @kentcricket."
Notably, Billings was part of the Lahore Qaladars team that won the recently concluded Pakistan Super League. In a recent interview, Billings shed light on his decision to stay out of the IPL 2023 but feature in the PSL.
On a chat show on Wisden Cricket, Billings said that for eight long years he was with the England teams but hardly got the chance to play, which led him to miss a lot of opportunities. That was the reason he decided to go to the PSL to play consistent cricket. He also said that the IPL is a great platform that pays a lot of money, but not everyone gets a fair price, like Harry Brook and Ben Stokes.
Billings also said that, being a competitive cricket player, he wanted to play regularly and not just be with the team and only practise at the nets, which is not what he wanted. He also said that playing for Kent gives him fulfilment as a player, and with a long summer ahead, he decided to opt out of the IPL.