David Miller on Indian Premier League: “IPL is a cut above the rest”

David Miller on Indian Premier League: The South African batsman considers the biggest T20 league to be also the best among all other T20 leagues.

In less than a month’s time, South Africa batsman David Miller will complete a decade as an international cricketer. Having made both his T20I and ODI debuts against West Indies in May 2010, Miller has represented South Africa in 210 while-ball matches.

In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Miller openly discussed about retiring from First-class cricket to lay more emphasis on limited-over formats. Two years down the line from making that decision, Miller didn’t rule out the possibility of making a comeback.

“I’ve never been one to rush into decisions, so when I made the decision to stop playing first-class cricket, I had thought about it for a long time. I knew I didn’t start well in my first-class career and that had pushed me to the back of the pecking order, which was fair enough.

“I also knew I couldn’t pick and choose between T20 and first-class, so that’s when I made the decision. But things can change and there may still be hope. I might have to have a discussion with Graeme Smith [Director of Cricket] and Mark Boucher [Head Coach] and it could be a possibility,” Miller was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

In 63 First-class matches, the southpaw has scored 3,342 runs at an average of 36.32 including six centuries and 19 half-centuries.

David Miller on Indian Premier League

Had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, Miller would have been participating in the 13th season of the Indian Premier League. Being asked about his frequent participation in T20 leagues over the years, Miller considered the IPL to be a “cut above the rest” and the Caribbean Premier League as the “biggest party” in sport.

“All the leagues are unique. The ones I have played in most are the IPL and the CPL. The IPL is a cut above the rest, in terms of pressure, which is what you want. In every game, you are playing in front of 40,000 to 90,000 people. Then, off the field and in hotels, there are a lot of demands, from the public and the owners, so there’s a lot going on.

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“The CPL has a bit more flexibility. They call it the biggest party in sport and I guess it is. I do hope to keep playing, but moving into the latter part of my career, I want to play as much as I can but also listen to my body,” Miller said.

Having made his IPL debut for Kings XI Punjab in 2012, Miller represented the franchise for eight years. In 82 IPL matches, Miller has scored 1,850 runs at an average of 34.26 and a strike rate of 138.78 including one century and nine half-centuries. It was only in this year’s auction that the 30-year old player was bought by Rajasthan Royals.