Australian bowler Spencer Johnson rejected PSL’s offer of Rs 1.87 crore and chose IPL. He has joined CSK for Rs 1.50 crore. He has been included in the team in place of injured Nathan Ellis.
Chennai: When IPL and PSL are going to happen at the same time, who will the players choose? Australian fast bowler Spencer Johnson has answered this. He has decided to leave the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and that too for less money.
In PSL, he got a contract of Rs 1.87 crore to play for Quetta Gladiators. At the same time, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will give him Rs 1.50 crore in IPL. That means Johnson agreed to take around Rs 37 lakh less for IPL. Johnson had withdrawn his name from the PSL citing ‘personal reasons’. Soon after, CSK included him in their team as a replacement for the injured Nathan Ellis. Ellis suffered an injury during a home ODI cup match on March 11, due to which he was ruled out of the IPL.
It is believed that the strong competition of IPL and its worldwide fame is the main reason for Johnson’s decision. Before this he has also played for Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders. In 2024, he took four wickets in five matches for Gujarat.
However, Johnson will be joining the CSK team shortly, so he will not be able to play the first few matches of the season. Earlier, when Johnson was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders, he had to miss the tournament due to back pain. Johnson has also played 5 ODI and 8 T20 matches for Australia.