'Come back stronger Maxi': Fans support Maxwell after RCB star takes 'mental & physical' break from IPL 2024

Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has opted to take an indefinite hiatus from the Indian Premier League (IPL), citing concerns about his mental and physical well-being due to his poor batting form. Initially sidelined from RCB's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday due to a finger injury sustained in the previous game against Mumbai Indians, Maxwell later revealed that he voluntarily withdrew himself from the squad.

"It was a pretty easy decision. I went to Faf and the coaches after the last game (vs Mumbai Indians) and said it was probably time we tried someone else (in his place)," Maxwell said in the post-match press meet.

"It's actually a good time 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 solid mental and physical space where I can make an impact," the RCB star added.

This marks the second instance in Glenn Maxwell's career where he has opted to step away from competitive cricket to regather himself. He previously took a similar break in October 2019, expressing feeling mentally and physically drained at that time. The 35-year-old returned to action a few months later.

In the ongoing IPL season, Maxwell's performance with the bat has been notably lackluster. Across the six matches he has played, he has managed just 32 runs at an average of 5.33 and a strike-rate of 94. The bulk of these runs, 28 to be precise, came in a single match against Kolkata Knight Riders, where he was aided significantly by two dropped catches.

"I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. We have had a pretty big deficiency after the power play, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn't contributing 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, and hopefully, someone can make that spot their own," a candid Maxwell said.

Despite his current struggles, the big-hitting Australian remains hopeful of making a significant impact in the later stages of the tournament upon his return.

"The management here has been outstanding. I don't think I've had a better six months in cricket leading into this tournament. So, it's frustrating when it ends up like this. But if I can get my body and my mind right, there's no reason I can't finish the tournament well if I do get another opportunity," he said.

The sudden downturn in Maxwell's form came as a surprise, especially considering his impressive performance leading up to the IPL. Prior to the tournament, he had amassed 552 runs from 17 T20Is since November, boasting an average of 42 and an impressive strike-rate of 185.

However, Maxwell's IPL campaign began on a disappointing note with a first-ball duck against Chennai Super Kings in an away match, and unfortunately, his fortunes continued to decline from that point onward.

"T20 cricket is a pretty fickle game. Even if you look at the first game, I ran one off the middle of the bat to the keeper. I picked up the length, saw a scoring opportunity, but opened the face a little bit too much. When you are going well, that goes wide of the (wicketkeeper's) gloves, you get a boundary. You are 4 off 1, and you are away for the tournament," he noted.

Maxwell expressed that luck has not been on his side in this tournament.

"I probably just haven't got away. In the first few games, I feel I made reasonably good decisions (for shot selection). But I was finding ways to get out. It can happen in T20 cricket and when it snowballs like that, you can go searching and try too hard and forget the basics of the game," he said.

While Maxwell endured a similarly challenging period during IPL 2020 while representing Punjab Kings, where he scored only 108 runs from 11 matches without hitting a single six, he refrained from drawing direct comparisons between the two seasons.

"I was bowling really well back then. I was actually playing more as a spinner. We had KL (Rahul) and Mayank (Agarwal) who were the two leading run-scorers at that time. So, there weren't a lot of balls left in the game (for him). I wasn't able to get any match rhythm. So, I said the same thing to the Punjab management that we can have an overseas bowler in my place. But we didn't have an off-spinner, so, I sort of played as an overseas off-spinner who could bat a little bit," he explained.

Following Maxwell's announcement, several RCB fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to support Maxwell and expressed their hope that the Australian will return to IPL action 'stronger' than before. Here's a look at some of the reactions: