Former Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has admitted that the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) could spoil his relationship with Michael Clarke. Back in 2008, Symonds became the most expensive player after being signed by Deccan Chargers for USD 1.8 million.
Symonds was among the star players of the Chargers along with VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Shahid Afridi and Herschelle Gibbs. The veteran felt that the huge amount he earned in the inaugural edition of the IPL caused jealousy and hampered his relationship with Clarke.
money does funny things
“We became close. When he (Clarke) came into the team I used to bat with him a lot. So when he came into the team I took full care of him. It created a bond,” said Symonds on the Brett Lee podcast was cited.
“Matthew Hayden told me – when the IPL started, I got a lot of money to go and play in the IPL – he identified it because there was a bit of jealousy that potentially got into the relationship[with Clarke].
“Money does fun things. It’s a good thing but it can be poison and I think it poisoned our relationship.”
“I have enough respect for him not to go into detail about what was said. I’m not friends with him anymore and I’m comfortable with that, but I’m not going to sit here and throw mud,” Symonds he said.
Symonds played only four matches in IPL 2008, where he scored 161 runs in three innings at an average of 80.50 and a strike rate of 153.33. He scored an unbeaten 117 against Rajasthan Royals (RR), becoming the champions of the inaugural edition.
Apart from Chargers, Symonds also made his trade for Mumbai Indians (MI). In 39 IPL matches, Symonds scored 974 runs at an average of 36.07 with one century and five half-centuries. He also took 20 wickets at an economy rate of 7.67.
Clarke, on the other hand, played only six matches in the 2012 IPL, where he represented the now defunct Pune Warriors. Five years later, in 2015, Clarke would lead Australia to World Cup glory.