Glenn Maxwell was hot after the 44th delivery despite having scored 77 runs off of 43 deliveries. The Australian’s switch-hit on the final ball of R Ashwin’s final over (15th for Rajasthan Royals) lacked the height to get past the tall Jason Holder at backward point. It is a move by the RCB batsmen, and Yuzvendra Chahal’s six a few overs earlier highlighted it.
Glenn Maxwell of Royal Challengers Bangalore plays a shot on Sunday, April 23, 2023, during the IPL 2023 match between those two teams at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. (Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Picture) (PTI04 23 2023 000161A) (PTI)
By the sword, you will live or die. But it wasn’t until then that he unleashed a knock that allowed Royal Challengers Bangalore to defeat RR at home on Sunday.
In response to his rage, Maxwell later remarked, “I felt like it was my obligation to bat a little deeper.”
That will arrive pretty soon. The Big Show rarely comes out to bat in the third over of an IPL inning. Nevertheless, it has already happened twice this year. The offensive Australian has climbed to No. 4, despite being frequently criticised for having a volatile league career.
Virat Kohli and Shahbaz Ahmed both fell on the opening ball of the innings and the first ball of the third over, respectively. Maxwell came to bat on the second ball of the third over. He assisted Faf du Plessis in giving the RCB total wings. Maxwell made sure that RCB were always ahead in the innings despite early jitters by driving Trent Boult’s first ball with ease and interfering with Ashwin and Chahal’s rhythm.
He was thrown out with RCB needing to score 227 runs in two overs a week ago against Chennai Super Kings. Prior to Maxwell’s dismissal in the 13th over (with RCB at 141/2) and an eight-run loss, they were within striking distance of the mark thanks to his counterattacking 76 off 36 balls.
I have no trouble hitting in this position (number 4), he declared. I’ve done a lot of things for Australia. They (RCB) have always allowed me the freedom to play that position and bat as I want when we are two down in the powerplay. Being in excellent shape, practising for matches, and spending a solid 10 days with the group were all beneficial. I believe you gain that confidence in the changing room with that preparation.
This conviction has allowed RCB to get the best out of Maxwell; after two disappointing seasons with Punjab, RCB signed him for 14.25 crores in 2021. Throughout 11 IPL seasons, Maxwell has batted at No. 4 55 times, 26 of which have been for RCB. Only four times has the think-tank moved him to No. 5, where he has had 28 IPL at bats. In 2021, Maxwell scored 513 runs (avg. 42.75, S/R 144.10); in 2022, he scored 301 runs (27.36, 169.10); and this season, he has scored 253 runs (42.17, 188.81) in seven games.
During the RCB innings, head coach Sanjay Bangar was questioned about if he had considered stopping Maxwell rather than risking his illustrious weapon against the movements of the new ball and bolt. Maxwell has been given the No. 4 position and the flexibility to be positive regardless of the game situation, according to Bangar. The benefit of his strong hitting is that it has no impact on the run rate. He will be in a better position the sooner,” stated Bangar.
The Lucknow Super Giants’ Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran are two examples of power hitters with game-changing potential who were often held back until a specific point in an inning to help teams recover. Conversely, when early wickets fall, be the first to retreat to a position of strength. Both problems have been resolved by RCB’s role clarification, which keeps Maxwell at No. 4 regardless of the remaining overs.
“Losing two early wickets puts you on the defensive. Nonetheless, you must continue to be active and busy. We were able to enter the game and sail through the middle innings because to the way we played on the back end of the powerplay, according to Maxwell.