IPL 2023 Retention: "He'll be back well before the IPL" - Mike Hesson confirms Glenn Maxwell will be fit for RCB's campaign

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson has assured that star Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will be fit in time for the upcoming IPL 2023 season.

Maxwell was ruled out of cricket for an extended period after suffering a broken leg in "a freak accident" at a birthday party in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup 2022.

The 34-year-old fractured his fibula and underwent surgery last Saturday. The mishap happened when Glenn Maxwell slipped while running in the backyard with the person celebrating their birthday, and his leg got trapped.

Maxwell will miss the ODI series against England, which starts on Thursday, and may also skip the entire BBL with the Melbourne Stars depending on the recovery timeline.

However, with IPL 2023 tentatively slated to be held around March-May, the Australian will gain full fitness, according to Mike Hesson, who remains optimistic. In a video posted by the IPL franchise on their official YouTube channel, Hesson said:

"There's been a little bit of concern surrounding Glenn Maxwell due to his broken leg. But we certainly wish Glenn a speedy recovery and with all the information we have, he will be back well before IPL 2023 starts."

He further added:

"Having a three dimensional player in the squad is critical for maintaing the balance of the squad."

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Mike Hesson explains the philosophy of RCB's IPL 2023 retention list

The Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to retain their core group from last season ahead of the upcoming mini-auction.

Among the key overseas players to be retained were Glenn Maxwell, David Willey, and Wanindu Hasaranga. Experienced stars Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik, along with key bowlers Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj, were among the Indian players who will stay with the Bengaluru-based franchise.

Hesson elaborated on the philosophy behind the retention list for IPL 2023:

"Talking about RCB's retention list, it was undoubtedly a rigorous process. But the key part was ensuring that there is consistency and keeping players who have delivered results for us. We have spent a lot of time in the previous year looking at the players we want to identify for the years to come."

He continued:

"The philosophy was unless we got someone significantly bigger than someone who is already in the team, we really wanted to trust the players who have done well for RCB."

RCB released Sherfane Rutherford, Chama Milind, Luvnith Sisodia, and Aneeshwar Gautam from their previous squad. They traded Jason Behrendoff to the Mumbai Indians. The three-time finalists have 8.75 crores for the Kochi mini-auction on December 23.