Maxwell told RCB captain Faf du Plessis and the coaching staff that he wanted to step back from playing in the XI, describing it as an “easy decision.”
Glenn Maxwell made the choice to give up his spot to another overseas player in the Royal Challengers Bangalore XI after struggling with low scores in IPL 2024. He admitted to this openly, saying he approached RCB captain Faf du Plessis and the coaching staff to inform them of his “easy decision” to step back. This break was to help him recover mentally and physically.
The early games had not gone according to plan. For me, it was a quite simple choice. “I think it’s time we try someone else,” I suggested to Faf and the coaches. I’ve experienced this before when you kind of play the game and end up in trouble. After the RCB vs. SRH game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Maxwell told reporters in Bengaluru, “Now is a good time to give myself a mental and physical break, give my body.”
But the dynamic all-rounder left the door open for an RCB XI return in the second part of the competition. “Hopefully, if I’m required later in the tournament, I can be at my best mentally and have an impact for RCB,” he stated.
The two biggest Australian players for RCB, Maxwell and Cameron Green, have disappointed greatly in this IPL season. Maxwell missed Monday’s run-fest against SRH, while Green was left out of the starting lineup following RCB’s game against RR on April 6. Maxwell has only managed to score 32 runs at an average of 5.33 and a strike rate of 94 in six games this year; 28 of those runs were earned against KKR. In the competition, he has three ducks registered.
Maxwell acknowledged that his recent batting performances have been below par, which has affected RCB’s performance in the middle overs of the game. He admitted, “We haven’t been playing as well as we would’ve liked to this season, and the results reflect that.” He noted that there’s been a noticeable gap in performance after the powerplay and in the middle overs, which has traditionally been his strong suit. Feeling he wasn’t contributing positively with the bat, he felt it was the right time to step aside and give someone else the chance to shine. He expressed hope that another player could seize the opportunity and make the position their own, helping RCB improve its standing in the tournament.
RCB has opted to give England’s Will Jacks a chance in place of Glenn Maxwell. Jacks is seen as a similar type of player to Maxwell. Additionally, in their match against SRH, they included an extra overseas seamer, Lockie Ferguson, in their lineup.
What went wrong for Maxwell in IPL 2024?
Maxwell, who entered the IPL in good form, faced a setback right from the start with a golden duck against CSK. He admitted that he never quite found his rhythm in this edition of the tournament. “T20 cricket can be unpredictable like that sometimes – it’s a pretty fickle game,” he remarked.
“Even in the first game, there was a moment where I hit the ball solidly, but unfortunately straight to the keeper. I read the length of the ball well, and saw a chance to score, but maybe I just opened the face of the bat a bit too much. When you’re in form, that shot might evade the gloves and result in a boundary. It’s just one of those small margins in cricket. If that had gone my way, I could have started the tournament on a different note, scoring 4 off 1 ball, and set a different tone for myself.”
“I think I’ve just struggled to get going – it’s as straightforward as that. In the initial matches, I believe I made some decent decisions, but I kept getting out in various ways. That’s just part of T20 cricket. When things start to go wrong like that, you might start overthinking and lose sight of the basics.”
Could Maxwell have given himself one more game?
In the match where Maxwell chose not to play, there was a record-breaking 549 runs scored and 81 boundaries hit. Some might wonder if Maxwell should have waited for one more match to see if he could get back into form. However, cricket is unpredictable, and there’s no guarantee he would have performed better in the next match. Maxwell prioritized his mental well-being by taking a break, which is important for athletes. Ultimately, he made the decision that he felt was best for himself and the team.
“I did notice during the powerplay that the pitch was not as slow and two-paced as it has been in the first few games,” he said, smiling. “And I realized it was probably not the best game to miss; it would have been great to be out there batting.”
“But as I mentioned, I felt it was important to give myself not just a physical break but also a mental break to ensure I could continue playing professional cricket at my best. I take a lot of pride in my performance, and I work hard behind the scenes to keep my body in shape for every game. However, it’s been quite challenging, especially considering my age is catching up with me. The physical and mental strain just got to me a bit.”
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