‘Easy decision’: Maxwell on indefinite leave from IPL

IPL Glenn Maxwell has taken indefinite leave from the Indian Premier League after a dire start to the tournament with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Maxwell asked RCB’s captain Faf du Plessis and coaching staff to drop him after he managed only 32 runs across his first six knocks this tournament, 28 of those coming in the one hit-out.

RCB are on a five-game losing streak and sit last on the ladder as the tournament approaches its halfway point.

“After the first few games hadn’t gone to plan personally for me, it was a pretty easy decision,” Maxwell told reporters.

“I went to (du Plessis) and the coaches last game and said it was time to probably try someone else. I have been in this situation before in the past, where you can keep playing and dig yourself into a hole.

“Now is actually the best time to give myself a mental and physical break.

“My personal results have reflected the results we have had. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way and it felt like, with the position we find ourselves at the table, to give someone else the opportunity.”

The dry spell comes less than two months out from the T20 World Cup in North America.

Australia are plotting to improve on an underwhelming finish at the 2022 edition, when the hosts failed to advance to the knockout stage.

Prior to a middling Twenty 20 International series against New Zealand, Maxwell had enjoyed a stellar T20 summer.

He whacked an unbeaten 120 from 55 balls against West Indies in January, his highest score in a T20I since September 2016, having also guided Australia to victory in the third T20I of the India series with 104 not out last November.

But Maxwell’s IPL campaign began with a first-ball duck against Chennai Super Kings, with two more ducks following and only one score above four runs.

“It has been a pretty tough struggle, given my body is on the wrong side of 30. I think that physical and mental toll probably just wore me down a little bit,” Maxwell said of his campaign thus far.

Elsewhere, a brutal century by Travis Head blasted Sunrisers Hyderabad back into the Indian Premier League play-off places in another match for bowlers to forget.

Head’s first T20 hundred was the fourth-fastest in IPL history, made off 39 balls. His 102 was the launchpad for Hyderabad to make 3-287, bettering their own IPL record of 3-277 set earlier this season.

Yet they only won by 25 runs as RCB recovered from 6-181 in the 15th over to finish 7-262. The 549-run aggregate was easily the highest in IPL history.

Head’s blistering ton included eight sixes and nine fours.

The Australian left-hander pounded the fast bowlers, notably New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson (2-52), who had a forgettable first game of the season as Bengaluru’s ploy not to go with a specialist spinner backfired.

Head raised his half-century off 20 balls and completed his century off the next 19 before finally holing out off Ferguson to mid-off.

“The pitch played beautifully,” he said.

“We thought we had to take the license to go.”

Of his own batting he added: “It’s not the prettiest thing in the world but I’m pleased with how I struck the ball today.”