IPL 2021: "Glenn Maxwell has played for so many franchises because he's not been consistent at all" - Gautam Gambhir

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes Glenn Maxwell's inconsistency is the reason behind the Australian featuring for several IPL franchises.

Gambhir remarked that despite the franchises giving him the required leeway to express himself, the all-rounder has continued to fall short of expectations.

Glenn Maxwell has represented Delhi Daredevils (2012, 2018), Mumbai Indians (2013) and Kings XI Punjab (2014-2017, 2020) in the IPL. He will now ply his trade for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2021.

Gautam Gambhir, who briefly captained Glenn Maxwell at Delhi Daredevils in 2018, told ESPNcricinfo:

"Had Maxwell done really well in the IPL, he wouldn't have played for so many franchises, to be honest. He's played for so many franchises because he's not been consistent at all. We can't keep talking about 'he hasn't had the freedom' for the previous franchises he's played for… when he played for Delhi, he had a lot of freedom."

To prove his point, Gambhir provided the example of Andre Russell - an equally destructive big-hitter who has been with the Kolkata Knight Riders since 2014.

"Most of these franchises and coaches - because they think he's an X-factor - they want to try and provide him with the best platform where he can succeed. The most unfortunate thing is that despite getting that platform, he has not succeeded, apart from that one season in 2014 where he set the IPL on fire. Had he done that, I think none of the franchises would have released him. Look at what Andre Russell has done for KKR and the amount of time he's spent at one franchise," Gambhir added.

Glenn Maxwell’s Day Out @Gmaxi_32 came. Maxwell reverse swept. And Maxwell had fun. Watch The Big Show and Kyle Jamieson at their first practice session for #RCB ahead of #IPL2021.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/naMXQcAROQ

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 6, 2021

Glenn Maxwell's IPL numbers are poles apart from his T20I record for Australia and his performance for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.

Since 2012, Maxwell averages 22.13 and has a strike rate of 154.67 in the IPL. In the same time period, his combined average and strike rate for Australia and the Stars stands at 32.72 and 154.10 respectively.

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"Every year Glenn Maxwell gets more and more money, hopefully, he performs this year" - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

Speaking further on the matter, Gautam Gambhir stated he can't explain how Glenn Maxwell gets paid more every subsequent year, despite his string of poor displays.

The former KKR captain hopes Glenn Maxwell can turn around his 'disappointing' run and come good for the RCB in IPL 2021.

"The only reason why a franchise releases you is because you haven't performed. The more franchises you play for, it just shows you haven't really been able to get settled in any of the franchises. Hopefully, he delivers this time around because every year, he keeps getting more and more money just because he does really well for Australia. So hopefully from RCB's point of view, he can do really well. He's probably got freedom more than any other player in the IPL. I feel he has been very disappointing throughout the IPL, but hopefully, this time around he can turn it," concluded Gautam Gambhir.

Glenn Maxwell, who failed to hit a single six in IPL 2020, still went for a whopping ₹14.25 crore at the IPL 2021 Auction. He is expected to form a lethal partnership with AB de Villiers in the RCB's middle-order.

The Virat Kohli-led outfit will begin their IPL campaign against Mumbai Indians in Chennai on April 9.

India, it’s nice to be back 😎🙌 @RCBTweets #IPL2021

— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) March 29, 2021