Australian cricket star Glenn Maxwell has decided to take a break from the Indian Premier League due to his poor performance with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team. Maxwell asked RCB’s captain Faf du Plessis and coaching staff to remove him from the squad after scoring only 32 runs in his first six matches of the tournament, with 28 of those runs coming in a single match. With RCB currently on a five-game losing streak and positioned last on the ladder as the tournament nears its halfway mark, Maxwell made the decision to step away indefinitely.
After the first few games didn’t go well for me personally, it was an easy choice,” Maxwell told reporters. “I spoke to (du Plessis) and the coaches last game and suggested it was time to give someone else a chance. I’ve been in this situation before, where you keep playing and things get worse. Now feels like the right time to take a break, both mentally and physically. My performance mirrored the team’s struggles. I felt I wasn’t helping positively, especially given our position in the standings. It’s time to let someone else step in.
Australia is determined to surpass their disappointing performance in the 2022 edition, where, as hosts, they failed to progress to the knockout stage.
Before a mediocre Twenty20 International series against New Zealand, Maxwell had an impressive T20 summer. He smashed an unbeaten 120 from 55 balls against West Indies in January, marking his highest score in a T20I since September 2016. Additionally, he guided Australia to victory in the third T20I of the India series with an unbeaten 104 last November.
However, Maxwell’s IPL campaign began with a first-ball duck against Chennai Super Kings, followed by two more ducks and only one score above four runs.
“It’s been quite challenging, especially considering my age is catching up. I believe the physical and mental strain has taken its toll on me,” Maxwell commented on his campaign so far.
In another match, a ruthless century by Travis Head propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad into the Indian Premier League playoff positions, providing another forgettable encounter for bowlers.
Head scored his first T20 century, one of the fastest in IPL history, in just 39 balls. His 102 runs laid the foundation for Hyderabad’s impressive total of 3-287, surpassing their previous IPL record of 3-277 set earlier in the season.
Despite this, they only managed to win by 25 runs as RCB bounced back from 6-181 in the 15th over to reach 7-262. The total of 549 runs scored in the match was the highest in IPL history.
Head’s explosive innings included eight sixes and nine fours. He dominated the fast bowlers, particularly New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson (2-52), who struggled in his first game of the season as Bengaluru’s decision not to include a specialist spinner backfired.
Head reached his fifty in just 20 balls and completed his century in the next 19 before eventually getting out to Ferguson. He praised the pitch and acknowledged the team’s decision to play aggressively.
Regarding his own batting, he said, “It may not have been the most elegant, but I’m happy with how I hit the ball today.”
