BENGALURU: When Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Glenn Maxwell walked into the conference room after his team’s defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday night, it seemed intriguing. It was rare to see a player who wasn’t in the 15 address the media.
For the next 10 minutes, Maxwell had everyone’s attention as he revealed that he had approached the management for a "mental and physical break".
With RCB’s qualification for the playoffs hanging by a thread, it was a bold call. The 35-year-old — who accumulated 513, 301 and 400 runs in the last three seasons respectively — has hit a rough patch this season, scoring only 32 runs in six matches. The poor performance seems to have affected Maxwell, highlighting the pressures that comes with playing in the IPL.
"I went to (skipper) Faf (du Plessis) and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else," Maxwell said.
"I’ve been in this situation where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me 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," said the Australian cricketer, who was initially suspected to have been rested due to a thumb injury.
This is not the first instance Maxwell has prioritised mental health, having taken a break in Oct 2019 citing similar issues. With no return date set, a question mark hangs over his participation even as RCB lie at the bottom of the table at the halfway mark. His present state of mind also does not augur well for Australia, with the T20 World Cup starting in June.
Maxwell, who was one of the stars of Australia’s 50-over World Cup-winning team last year, carried his form into the Big Bash League but has been all at sea here. "I don’t think I’ve had a better six months leading into this IPL. It’s frustrating when it ends up like this. But there’s no reason I can’t finish the tournament well," he said.
