3 teams that could go for Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is one of those players who just grab everyone’s attention. Everything he does on or off the field diverts people’s attention. However, the star Aussie all-rounder has often failed to live up to his potential. His form for Australia has been on the decline and he has been very inconsistent over the last couple of years.

Maxwell has been a big disappointment in the IPL as well. The 30-year-old has played for three teams (Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils) so far and barring a season or two, he has largely disappointed. He started off with Delhi Daredevils in 2012 before moving to Mumbai Indians in 2013. He had an excellent season (scoring 552 runs at a strike-rate of 187.76) with Kings XI Punjab in 2014 and was one of the main factors in their run to the final.

However, since that fabulous season, Maxwell has failed to touch the 200-run mark in three out of the four seasons. The only season he crossed it was in 2017 when he struck 310 runs in 13 innings.

Hence, except for one season, Maxwell has been a big flop in the IPL. Though his career IPL strike-rate of 161.13 is excellent, his average of 22.90 is disappointing.

Last year, he was bought by Delhi Daredevils for a whopping 9 crores. However, his poor returns (169 runs in 12 innings) meant that the Delhi management have decided to let him go. The question now is which team does Maxwell fit in? Thus, let’s look at three teams that could go for Maxwell in the upcoming auction.

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#3 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Rajasthan Royals who made a comeback to the IPL after a two-season ban in 2018 released a 16-man retention list. Most of the batsmen retained are top-order players. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi are all top-order batsmen and are most effective at the top. Hence, Rajasthan need a proper middle-order batsman.

Thus, Maxwell’s addition could well be a decent one with most of RR’s players crowded at the top. He could also form a potent pair alongside Ben Stokes in the middle-order just like he did with David Miller at Kings XI Punjab four years ago.

While it is true that RR need a lot of bowling resources, a player like Maxwell can be a really good fit in the middle order.

#2 Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Royal Challengers Bangalore has been one the most underwhelming and underperforming teams in the history of the IPL. Time and again, they’ve promised a lot but they’ve failed to deliver. This time they have opted to 14 players.

While RCB’s bowling line-up looks settled with plenty of options to choose from, they have retained only three pure batsmen - Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Parthiv Patel. With these three likely to form the top-order and with a couple of all-rounders in the middle, RCB could well opt for Glenn Maxwell.

RCB have had problems with their middle-order in the last couple of seasons. They’ve often been found out when the top-order fails to fire. Hence, Maxwell could be a good addition to the side. He can be used as a floater as well and can also provide a handy off-spin option as well.

Maxwell could well be a game-changer for RCB in the middle and it will help Kohli and de Villiers to play with freedom at the top.

#1 Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

Kings XI Punjab is another team that has disappointed over the years. They’ve qualified for the playoffs only twice in 10 seasons. They have chopped and changed quite a bit in the last few years. Even this year, they have retained only 10 players and have the highest purse going into the auction.

Like RCB, KXIP had massive problems in the middle-order last year and despite KL Rahul’s fabulous run at the top and after winning the first few games, KXIP’s campaign went downhill. Thus, no one needs a middle-order batsman as much as KXIP.

Maxwell lit up the IPL playing for the Punjab franchise in 2014 and helped KXIP reach the final. He formed a lethal pair with David Miller that season and tore apart some of the best bowling line-ups in that tournament. His underwhelming numbers led to his ouster from the team after the 2017 season. But KXIP could buy him back in the auction and strength their middle-order.