IPL 2021: Glenn Maxwell reveals why the INR 14.25 crore price tag didn't surprise him

Royal Challengers Bangalore star Glenn Maxwell has stated that he wasn’t surprised by his IPL 2021 price tag, reasoning he knew the particular roles franchises were looking to fill. The Aussie all-rounder was snapped up by RCB for a whopping INR 14.25 crore at the February 18 auction.

There was intense bidding between the RCB and the Chennai Super Kings for Glenn Maxwell, before the Bengaluru-based side made him the third-most expensive player bought for the 14th edition of the cash-rich league.

In a video released by the franchise on social media, Glenn Maxwell revealed he was aware that certain teams wanted an off-spinning all-rounder who batted in the middle order.

“Not really [surprised], I thought there might be a little bit of interest. I think a lot of teams want that middle-order player, I knew there were a couple of teams who were looking for a middle-order player who can bowl off-spin as well. I am just glad two teams went hard for me and in the end, RCB got hold of me,” Glenn Maxwell said.

RCB will be Maxwell’s fourth IPL franchise, with him having represented the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in previous editions. He spent most of his years at the Mohali-based franchise (2014 to 2017) before making a comeback last year.

However, IPL 2020 saw Glenn Maxwell endure his worst season. He scored just 108 runs at a strike rate of 101.88 from 13 matches without hitting a single six. This resulted in Preity Zinta and Co. releasing him into the pool of players for the IPL 2021 auction.

Bold Diaries: Glenn Maxwell Interview Part 1 Maxwell talks about quarantine life, cricket in the times of Covid-19, the #IPL2021 auction experience, and much more on @myntra presents Bold Diaries.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/Avw4D5UyzY

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 7, 2021

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“I want to have a positive influence on the group” – Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has scored 1505 runs at a strike-rate of 154.68 in 82 IPL games so far [Credits: IPL]

While the 13th edition of the IPL was staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the world’s most famous T20 league is back home for the 14th season. Glenn Maxwell also expressed excitement about the same, adding he seeks to have a “positive influence” on the group after having completed his quarantine.

“I suppose for me, I am so excited to get going again. New team, new tournament, we are back in India, I am excited to get stuck in. It was nice to see some friendly faces and just get some of that energy that you have been conserving during the seven-day quarantine. I want to have a positive influence on the group, if I see improvement in the whole squad, I want to make sure that everything I do has a positive influence on the group,” Glenn Maxwell exclaimed.

Virat Kohli's men play the season opener against defending champions Mumbai Indians on Friday (April 9), at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.