Glenn Maxwell has revealed he asked to be omitted from the Royal Challengers Bangalore team to face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL on Monday night, and is taking a "mental and physical break". The Aussie all-rounder has endured a nightmare time in the T20 competition so far, registering scores of 0, 3, 28, 0, 1 and 0.
His latest duck saw him equal the record for most in IPL history, but the Aussie star won't be breaking that mark anytime soon. On Monday (local time), the 35-year-old wasn't picked for RCB's clash with Sunrisers, which they lost by 25 runs after Travis Head blasted the fourth-fastest century in the history of the competition.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Maxwell revealed it was his decision not to play. The all-rounder said he has asked for a break to refresh, which will hopefully help the team right their sinking ship as well. RCB have just one win from seven matches and are little chance of making the finals.
“After the first few games hadn’t gone to plan personally for me, it was a pretty easy decision,” Maxwell said. “I went to (RCB captain Faf du Plessis) and the coaches last game and said it was time to probably try someone else.
"I have been in this situation before in the past, where you can keep playing and dig yourself into a hole. Now is actually the best time to give myself a mental and physical break. With our results this year, it was quite an easy decision. We haven’t been playing as well as we would have liked as a team, and the results show that.
"My personal results have reflected the results we have had. Pretty big deficiency straight after the Powerplay and the middle overs, which have been an area of strength of mine the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way and it felt like, with the position we find ourselves at the table, to give someone else the opportunity to try their wares and hopefully, someone can make the spot their own.”
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Maxwell said he would put himself forward for selection again when he gets “into a solid mental and physical space”. He added: “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.”
"Maxwell's honesty shines through as he reveals his decision to step aside for the team's greater good. Admirable leadership from the Aussie maestro. 🏏 #GlennMaxwell #Cricket" pic.twitter.com/yoNFaY4DOm
— Hemant ( Sports Active ) (@hemantbhavsar86) April 16, 2024
Was annoyed pre-season but I'm happy with his reaction. Would've hurt had he been dropped.
Actual selfless player who realised he's not able to give his best and make way for someone else. My respect for him has really increased now.https://t.co/OgA1Kf7NXb
— Andrew Tatya (@AndrewTatya) April 15, 2024
Emotional Speech Maxiiii!!! 💔
— ᎠҽѵìӀ 𝕏 (@ImPmalawat) April 16, 2024
Good Decision, Team First 🥇🏆
— Rohirat✨ (@Anukalp2714) April 16, 2024
We believe in you Maxi❤️
— Manu (@yoitzmanu) April 16, 2024
As Maxwell said, he had been in outstanding form in white-ball cricket over the last 12 months, helping Australia win the ODI World Cup last year and scoring a number of big centuries. But his form slump and decision to step away from playing in the IPL will be a big concern ahead of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and America in June.
Maxwell shapes as an automatic selection for the Australian team, but his form would be somewhat of a worry. The latest development comes after Mitch Marsh flew home from the IPL with a hamstring complaint, although he isn't though to be in any doubt for the World Cup.
