Glenn Maxwell, one of the most sought-after T20 players, guided Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a seven-wicket win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday in Dubai with his 50-run knock off 30 balls.
The star all-rounder, who spent his IPL days in Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) last season has changed his fortune playing in a new franchise. After scoring a meager 108 from 13 games last season for Punjab, the Australian has turned his IPL career around playing for RCB.
What has changed for Maxwell?
With the new franchise, Maxwell has amassed 350 runs in 11 matches, becoming the highest run getter for the RCB, scoring fourth fifty of the season.
Former West Indian captain Brian Lara has credited skipper Virat Kohli for Maxwell’s turnaround.
Speaking to the host-broadcaster, Lara said, “In the 2019 and 2020 IPL, he was in very poor form and he was like that entire IPL, not only for Punjab Kings. It looked like his IPL career was over. I’m going to use one person’s name here and that is Virat Kohli. Can you imagine getting a call from Virat Kohli to come join RCB. And I believe just by that, his confidence would have grown and that’s all you need sometimes.”
In the post-match presentation, Maxwell opened up about what is clicking for him in this franchise. The Aussie said, “I have felt good since coming here, got myself into a nice routine at training and outside of training as well, I just feel it is really clicking for me. Nice to perform in the middle, adapting to the situations in front of me. I don’t’ think it’s too different from any other franchise. It’s just what we have created as a group. It is nice to have a bung of guys doing different things and not relying on one certain player. Everyone is chipping in and it has been a really enjoying group so far.”
The big-hitter was acquired by the RCB during the players' auction after an intense bidding war between RCB and CSK . RCB outlasted former champions and shelled out a hefty amount of Rs 14.25 crore to rope in Maxwell, who seems to be repaying their confidence with his winning knocks.
