IPL 2024: Glenn Maxwell reveals he asked RCB for mental and physical break, gives frank assessment of season

RCB all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said that he decided to sit out of the team’s game against Sunrisers Hyderabad due to a poor run of form, revealing that he asked the management for a physical and mental break.

Glenn Maxwell did not feature in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the run-fest on Monday. And with 32 runs in six IPL games, he has been woefully out of form.

It was thus a surprise to see a smiling Maxwell enter the room to address the post-match press conference on Monday night.

The Australian started the chat with a first ball six, stating that he had asked the RCB team management to give him a “mental and physical break”.

“It was a pretty easy decision. I went to Faf (du Plessis) and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else. I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break; get my body right. If I’m required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact,” Maxwell stated.

“We have had a pretty big deficiency straight after the powerplay, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat, and with the results and the position we find ourselves on the table, I think it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to show their wares. Hopefully, someone can make that spot their own,” Maxwell added.

In an age where players are shielded from even the mildest criticism, it was refreshing to see Maxwell bravely front the media and address a tough topic.

The 35-year-old, who will hope to get back into rhythm in time for the2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, explained that he was trying too hard to get into form.

“T20 cricket is a pretty fickle game.. I just haven’t got away - it’s as simple as that. In the first few games, I feel I made reasonably good decisions, but I was still finding ways to get out. When it snowballs like that, you can go searching and try too hard and forget the basics of the game,” Maxwell said.