Glenn Maxwell voluntarily decided to offer his spot to another overseas player in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI after registering a string of low scores in IPL 2024, the Australian all-rounder said in an honest admission. Glenn Maxwell said he went up to RCB captain Faf du Plessis and the coaching staff to let them know about the “easy decision” of dropping himself from the XI to take a break to allow his mind and body to recover.
Glenn Maxwell revealed the news as he spoke to media during the press conference after RCB’s bitter defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday night. Glenn Maxwell, who has courted plenty of criticism owing to his poor form with the bat, wasn’t part of the XI against SRH, with Will Jacks taking his place. After the game, Glenn Maxwell explained that he asked skipper Faf du Plessis to try someone else himself.
Glenn Maxwell poor form in IPL 2024.
Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, RCB’s two big Australian recruits have been a major disappointment in this IPL. Green was dropped from the XI after RCB’s match against RR on April 6 while Glenn Maxwell sat out from the run-fest against SRH on Monday. In six matches this year, Maxwell has scored just 32 runs at an average of 5.33 and a strike rate of 94. 28 of his 32 runs came in the match against KKR. He has registered three ducks in the tournament.
The 35-year-old has been in woeful form in IPL 2024, scoring 32 runs at an average of 5.33 with three ducks in six outings. Maxwell’s lack of runs has been surprising, considering his incredible form in white-ball cricket since the last IPL season. He scored 400 runs for RCB in 2023 at an average of over 33 and a strike rate of 183.49 and continued that form into the ODI World Cup later in the year to help Australia win their sixth title
Maxwell’s poor show with the bat hurt RCB’s progress in the middle-overs. Post the match which yielded 549 runs , Glenn Maxwell in the after match press conference decided to go on indefinite break citing mental fatigue.
Glenn Maxwell Takes Indefinite Break From IPL 2024, Explains Decision To RCB
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has decided to take an indefinite break from IPL 2024 over ‘mental and physical fatigue’.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has decided to take an indefinite break from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. Maxwell revealed the news as he spoke to media during the press conference after RCB’s bitter defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday night.
Glenn Maxwell, who has courted plenty of criticism owing to his poor form with the bat, wasn’t part of the XI against SRH, with Will Jacks taking his place. After the game, Maxwell explained that he asked skipper Faf du Plessis to try someone else himself.
In the press conference, Maxwell said that he isn’t in a good ‘mental and physical space’ at the moment. Hence, decided to take a break. The Australian all-rounder didn’t specify the length for which he decides to sit out.
“For me, personally, it was a pretty easy decision,” Maxwell said after RCB’s sixth defeat in seven matches. “I went to Faf [du Plessis] and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else. I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole.
I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right. If I’m required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact.
“We have had a pretty big deficiency straight after the powerplay, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat, and with the results and the position we find ourselves on the table, I think it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to show their wares, and hopefully, someone can make that spot their own.”
It isn’t the first time Maxwell has taken a break from the game over mental fatigue. With things not going right for the veteran cricketer, he decided it’s best for the franchise to use other options while he rejuvenates and looks to bounce back with strength.
“T20 cricket can be like that sometimes – it’s a pretty fickle game,” he said. “Even if you look at the first game, I ran one off the middle of the bat to the keeper. I picked up the length really well, saw a scoring opportunity, but opened the face a little bit too much. When you are going well, that goes wide of the gloves, you get a boundary, you are 4 off 1, and you are away for the tournament.
“I probably just haven’t got away – it’s as simple as that. In the first few games, I feel I made reasonably good decisions, but I was still finding ways to get out. It can happen in T20 cricket and when it snowballs like that, you can go searching and try too hard and forget the basics of the game.”
Unfortunately for RCB, the move to rest Maxwell made no difference, as they suffered a fifth straight defeat to remain at the bottom of the points table. The RCB bowling also suffered the humiliation of conceding the highest-ever IPL total as SRH pummelled their way to 287/3 in 20 overs in their 25-run win.
“The management here has been outstanding” – Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell heaped praise on the RCB management and hoped to finish the tournament well if and when he returns to the side at a later stage.
The Aussie star has been with RCB since the 2021 IPL season and has played 48 games for the franchise.
“The management here has been outstanding. We’ve been working together on taking a fair bit of ownership and the off-field leadership staff is trying to help out as much as they can. Unfortunately, runs just haven’t come the way they should have when you are in really good form.
I don’t think I’ve had a better six months in cricket leading into this tournament. So it’s frustrating when it ends up like this. But if I can get my body and my mind right, there’s no reason I can’t finish the tournament well if I do get another opportunity,” said Maxwell.
With six losses in seven outings, RCB’s playoff hopes hang by a thread and the side will likely have to win all seven of their remaining games. They will take on KKR in their next encounter at Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 21.