Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf Du Plessis spoke highly of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell’s performance at RCB and how fruitful it has been for him in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Du Plessis credited Maxwell’s destructive batting, especially against spinners, for easing pressure on the partner batter.
Maxwell’s fortunes in the IPL have improved since 2021, when he donned the ‘Playbold’ jersey and scored 300+ runs in all three seasons. The Australian has played an important part in striking the spinners, as indicated by his strike rate of 167.2 and an excellent runs-per-dismissal ratio of more than 33.
“It’s very obvious for me that when I joined, there were quite a few strong personalities within the team, and I loved that. I love using people that have strong personalities and try to pull out their strengths to try and make my job a little easier. I don’t see it as me running the show, I feel like you pull people along the journey with you and you make sure you make them feel like they’re a part of it. Because then they want to contribute and you can get the best out of them. And certainly with Maxi, his time at RCB has been very fruitful for him in terms of IPL cricket,” Faf Du Plessis said while speaking exclusively at the Star Nahi Far event to Star Sports.
“I think we never really saw the full potential of Glenn Maxwell before the IPL, he always had these little small amazing innings, but it was very in between, like it would be an amazing 80 or 90 but then there would be a few low scores. But with RCB, I think he’s really found consistency. The last two years he’s been excellent and I can tell you, last year batting with him makes batting a lot easier for me because he’s so destructive, especially against spinners.
Du Plessis also remarked on Maxwell’s improved performance in international cricket over the past two years and expressed hope that this form will continue, deeming it crucial for a successful season.
“He’s so powerful against spinners that you feel as the partner batting with him that you can go at the pace that you want to go. Sometimes it’s at his pace and sometimes it’s not. But it takes so much pressure off you as the other batter. So he’s a great guy to bat with because he just goes and it’s good to see how well he’s done. Obviously, you can see in the last two years, his international cricket as well has also gone to another level. So hoping that that form can continue. I think he’s a crucial part of us having a really good season,” Du Plessis added.
