Ajay Jadeja reckons that Glenn Maxwell’s brilliant displays in the ongoing season of the IPL will make it hard for the Royal Challengers Bangalore owners to let go of his services ahead of the mega-auction in IPL 2022.
Ajay Jadeja said that Glenn Maxwell may well have exceeded the expectations that the RCB camp would have had of him given his underwhelming returns for his previous franchises.
Ajay Jadeja: RCB Is In A Dilemma To Retain Whom Between AB de Villiers And Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell, who was bought by RCB for a whopping price of INR 14.25 crore in IPL 2021 auctions, has been phenomenal with both bat and the ball. He had a poor show with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in IPL 2020 in UAE where he could only make 108 runs from 13 matches at an average of 15.42.
But things are totally different since he moved to the RCB franchise, as the swashbuckling all-rounder has scored 350 runs from 10 innings and has also been effective with the bowl while chipping in some important breakthroughs.
“Plenty of people have invested money and time on Glenn Maxwell. If you ask them, then they will tell you that he isn’t value for money. But for RCB, he has proved to be a multi banner. He has done things for them which he didn’t do for his previous franchises, ” said Ajay Jadeja.
Ajay Jadeja wondered if the presence of foreign coaches in the IPL has helped Glenn Maxwell. He also said that RCB might have to take a tough call between the Australian and AB de Villiers when it comes to the retention of players for the next edition.
“But at auction, I feel that Maxwell has benefitted from the presence of foreign coaches. RCB has backed him and he has given them more dividends than they would have expected. Now they won’t be able to let go of his services. So, the question is, will they retain him or AB de Villiers?” said Ajay Jadeja.
Pragyan Ojha: Glenn Maxwell Got Confidence In The RCB Set-up
Meanwhile, former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha opined that while Glenn Maxwell always got the backing of his previous coaches, the confidence he has received in the RCB camp has led to a revival in his fortunes.
“If you talk about coaches, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hesson backed him at Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Punjab Kings. But I think, Maxwell got the cushion and confidence in the RCB set-up which is why he has performed brilliantly.”
Pragyan Ojha signed off by stating that Glenn Maxwell’s emergence has come at the right time for RCB as he believes that AB de Villiers might be nearing the end of his IPL career.
Pragyan Ojha added: “I think Maxwell’s form is a blessing in disguise for RCB as I feel this might be the last season for AB de Villiers.”