Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) registered a hard-fought four-wicket victory against the Gujarat Titans on Saturday, securing their third consecutive win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. This victory propelled RCB to the seventh position in the league standings.
After languishing at the bottom of the table for over a month, RCB’s resurgence began with a triumph over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match. Continuing their momentum, RCB secured their second victory against the Gujarat Titans this year.
While RCB’s overall performance has shown signs of improvement, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell’s lackluster batting form continues to raise concerns. Although he has made valuable contributions with the ball in certain matches, his batting, which is his primary role in the team, has been underwhelming.
Maxwell’s struggles continued in the match against the Titans, as he was dismissed for a mere 4 off 3 balls. RCB faced a tense moment during their chase of a modest 153-run target after the opening duo of Virat Kohli (42) and Faf du Plessis (64) had put on a 92-run partnership in just 5.5 overs. However, the middle-order batters failed to capitalize, with none reaching double figures.
Despite RCB’s victory, former India wicketkeeper-batter and ex-RCB player Parthiv Patel did not hold back in his criticism of Maxwell’s inconsistent performances this season. Taking to social media, Patel labeled Maxwell as the “most overrated cricketer” in the IPL.
Patel’s comments sparked a heated debate, prompting him to conduct a poll comparing Maxwell’s performances for Australia and in the IPL. An overwhelming majority of respondents favored his performances for Australia.
Maxwell’s inconsistency in the IPL has been a recurring issue. Since joining RCB, he has had mixed results. While he accumulated 400 runs in the previous season and crossed the 500-run mark in the 2021 season, he has also endured lean patches with his former franchise, Punjab Kings.
Despite Maxwell’s struggles, RCB will hope that he can regain his form and make significant contributions in the upcoming matches as they aim to continue their upward trajectory in the IPL 2024 season.
