Glenn Maxwell, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman has said that he certainly felt good after hitting two sixes against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 opener as he failed to hit a single six in IPL 2020 held at UAE.
Glenn Maxwell had played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) last year and he had a dismal run, scoring just above 100 runs(108 runs averaging 15.42 in 13 games). During his stint, the right-handed batsman did not manage to hit a single six for the side.
Glenn Maxwell Felt Good To Hit A Six After Failing To Hit A Single One In IPL 2020
But in the IPL 2021 opener, the batsman managed to change his fortunes as he played a knock of 39 runs, including two sixes. RCB defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling encounter on Friday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
“It certainly felt good. I did not hit a single six last year, I did remind Virat of me not hitting a six last year. To hit one out of the middle, it is a bit of monkey of the back. It is nice to start well and to have the captain at the other end, it makes my job a little easier,” Glenn Maxwell told Harshal Patel in a video posted on the official website of IPL.
Harshal Patel delivered a stunning bowling performance before Protea batsman AB de Villiers’ masterclass as RCB defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets. Harshal Patel had picked five wickets (three in the final over) to restrict Mumbai Indians to 159 runs in the allotted 20 overs and as a result, he became the first bowler a take a fifer against Mumbai Indians in the cash-rich IPL.
Harshal Patel Felt Great To Bag His First 5 Wicket Haul In The T20s Against A Great Batting Lineup
In response, RCB got over the line on the last ball, courtesy of some fine hitting by AB de Villiers in the death overs. For RCB, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers played knocks of 39 and 48 respectively. Skipper Virat Kohli also played a 33-run knock of 29 balls.
“Obviously, it felt great. It was my first fifer ever in the T20s, that felt special and this coming against such a good batting lineup, it was cherry on top.
“The ball started tailing a bit so I wanted to hit them on the toes and if they miss, it will hit the stumps and I knew if they are waiting for the yorkers, my slower balls can be really deceptive. So, I was just trying to mix it up and get as many wickets as I can,” Harshal told Glenn Maxwell.
“I told AB de Villiers when I got there that I am there with you and we are going to win this game. Obviously, whenever you hit the winning runs, it does not matter whether it is a boundary or a single, it is a special feeling. Great day on the field,” he added.
Chris Lynn top-scored for MI with a 35-ball 49 against RCB but baring him, nobody could score more than 31. The likes of Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Krunal Pandya failed to deliver with the bat. In reply, like MI, RCB’s lower order failed to contribute much but RCB held on the nerve and crossed the hurdle in the last ball thriller.
Mumbai Indians, haven’t won their opening match for the 9th successive time in the IPL since 2012. The win helped RCB improve their head-to-head record over MI with 11 wins out of 28 matches. This is also the first time RCB won their opening game of the IPL.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (capt), Chris Lynn, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Rajat Patidar, AB de Villiers(w), Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal