Why did Spencer Johnson withdraw from PSL to accept a lower IPL contract?
Australian fast bowler Spencer Johnson has been roped in by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 15 million. Johnson, who has represented Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 and IPL 2025 respectively, went unsold in the 2026 IPL mini-auction. Now, however he replaces another Australian pacer, Nathan Ellis, in the team, who was roped in for INR 20 million.
PSL signing and withdrawal
Following his IPL mini-auction snub, he was snapped up by Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators as their direct signing ahead of the auction. Gladiators signed the Aussie quick for PKR 56 million, though he eventually withdrew from the league citing personal reasons.
Quetta replaced him with West Indies bowler Alzarri Joseph for their PSL 11 campaign.
Why did Johnson accept a lower IPL deal?
Interestingly, Johnson accepted a lower IPL contract (INR 15 million ~ USD 159,000) than what he had with the PSL franchise (PKR 56 million ~ USD 200,000). Reportedly, the reason behind it is his partial availability for the league. Johnson is likely to miss the starting games for CSK.
IPL vs PSL overlap
Due to the two leagues, PSL and IPL, running concurrently, many players have made a shift from the former to the latter. Besides Johnson, players like Gudakesh Motie, Blessing Muzarabani, and Dasun Shanaka are among those who have pulled out from PSL to join IPL.
This is the second year running that IPL and PSL have shared the same time window, the reason for it being the latter postponing its games. PSL usually has a February-March window, but that was taken up by the T20 World Cup this year. Similarly, last year, the Champions Trophy had to be scheduled in PSL’s window.
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