Dubai: Glenn Maxwell proved Royal Challengers Bangalore made no mistake in splashing out $1.89 million for his signature after the explosive all-rounder inspired them to a second successive victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday.
Maxwell’s batting inconsistency had prompted Punjab Kings to release the Australian in January ahead of the 2021 players auction, clearing a path for Bangalore to scoop him up and bolster their bid for a maiden IPL title.
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The 32-year-old began repaying his huge price tag with a breezy 39 in their tournament opening win against defending champions Mumbai Indians and he followed that up against Sunrisers Hyderabad with 59 off 41 balls.
Bangalore top the points table with two wins from two, and Maxwell, who has also played for Mumbai and Delhi, was delighted to have made an immediate impact.
“To start like this with a new franchise has been really nice, but to contribute to two wins has probably been the most satisfying thing,” he said after being named man of the match.
It was his first IPL fifty in five years and Maxwell said batting at number four, ahead of versatile South African AB de Villiers, allowed him to play freely.
“Having AB behind you in the order gives you a bit more freedom to play your shots, gives me time to get myself in and that’s a very similar role I play for the Australian team — so that’s been great,” Maxwell said. “It’s my fourth IPL team and there’s obviously a bit of pressure on me for me, so to turn up and make my impact straight away was really key.”
Hyderabad, led by fellow Australian David Warner, restricted Bangalore to 149-8 and looked on course to chase down the total before eventually finishing on 143-9.
Warner tipped his hat to Maxwell but said Hyderabad’s batsmen had let the side down as they slumped to a second successive defeat.
“Obviously Maxi batted well, but our bowlers did well to restrict them ... It hurts.”
