In a significant turn of events at the Indian Premier League (IPL), Glenn Maxwell, often hailed as the ‘Big Show,” ended up being a major letdown for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during the Eliminator against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday. Notably, Maxwell’s performance led him to share an undesirable record with Dinesh Karthik during the high-stakes match between RCB and RR at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan scrutinized the Australian cricketer’s decision-making at the crease.
Pathan took to X, previously known as Twitter, to express his bewilderment at Maxwell’s choice of shot in the playoff game against RR. “What was Maxwell doing?” he posted, criticizing the RCB star’s approach. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen also criticized Maxwell while commentating during the game. The seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin Outsmarted Maxwell, significantly influencing the match’s outcome.
Maxwell now shares the questionable distinction of having the most ducks in IPL history with Karthik, each having been dismissed without scoring 18 times in the league. Following them closely is Indian captain Rohit Sharma, with 17 ducks. Others like Piyush Chawla, Mandeep Singh, and Sunil Narine failed to score in 15 instances.
Looking into into the match details, Ashwin’s remarkable over that saw the dismissals of Cameron Green and Maxwell was pivotal. RCB managed to put up a total of 172-8 in their 20 overs. Ashwin, continuing his impressive run in the IPL playoffs, added two more wickets to his tally, conceding only 19 runs in his four-over spell. Fast bowler Avesh Khan also played a key role, claiming three wickets for 44 runs. Ashwin, known for his playoff performances, is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL playoff history with 21 wickets.
During the innings break, Ashwin shared some insights into his season, “The tournament has been a tale of two halves for me. I faced challenges at the start, struggling with injuries after the Test series. However, in the recent games, I feel my bowling has significantly improved. I even messaged Virat to motivate him, saying let’s give it our all one more time (smiles). The dew has been handled well, and overall, the IPL committee did a great job managing it,” Ashwin reflected on his and the tournament’s journey.