As Kings XI Punjab terminated the Australian’s services, let us have a close look at his most probable destination that would be a win-win for both the club and the player. Known for his crude hitting ability, Maxwell can be a game-changer if his potential is utilized rightly according to the needs of any franchise. He can act as a sixth bowling option to break the rhythm of opponent partnerships. Not to mention that he is easily not if, one of the greatest fielders to ever grace the field.
Maxwell struggled to find his form in IPL 2020, without even hitting a single ball out of the park! Now that is pretty bad given his role’s requirement. But as it goes without saying, Form is temporary, class is permanent. Glenn Maxwell returns to the coming IPL season after finding some form against India. He has had a pretty good BigBash season, on an individual basis.
The above graph shows the overwise strike-rate of Glenn Maxwell in T20’s over the last two years. It is very evident that he is good at accelerating and helping his team reach a big score. Overs from 12 to 20 is his forte where he has a strike rate of 165.5!
Another important aspect to note is that Maxwell does well in death overs batting first than chasing. The below graphics show how and why Maxwell is better when batting first. He loves batting freely in the first innings but gets cuffed up a little bit in the second innings due to chasing pressure.
Overs 1–6 can be ruled off since it is highly unlikely for him to open the innings unlike he did for the Australian national team in T20’s, once upon a time. Glenn Maxwell does a far better job when setting scores. Chasing big totals might be difficult for finishers because success is hugely dependent upon opening players. Maxwell has lost his wicket 63 percent of the time while chasing in overs between 12 and 16.
Maxwell when put in comparison with other top finishers of the game, (min 250 balls faced from 2018 in T20 games) in between overs 12 and 20, has fared exceptionally well. The above visual depicts that he is just a few data points off from the best-fit. He not only hits the ball all over the fence frequently but also does not eat balls in the accelerate and death phase.
Running Efficiency — Batsman runs through non-boundary balls. Measure for not wasting balls after hitting a 4/6
From the above graph, one can see that Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore struggle to accelerate and finish in overs 12–20. This is a situation where Maxwell can come in handy. Particularly for RCB because of their over-dependency on Kohli and De Villiers for acceleration.
Boundary Frequency — Number of boundaries scored in overs 12–20 to the total number of boundaries. Can be used as a measure for a team’s acceleration rate towards death.
SunRisers Hyderabad have struggled to accelerate after laying a foundation in the overs 12–20 because of the lack of strong finishers in their squad. The above graph depicts the percentage of wickets lost in overs 12–20 to total vs percentage of runs scored between overs 12–20 to the total.RCB have scored almost 50 percent of their runs in between overs 12–20 but their average score is 143. With Maxwell coming in, both teams have an increased probability to end their innings on a higher note while setting.
The arrow mark in the picture on the left represents Sunrisers Hyderabad’s momentum-shifting inability as the death overs approach. The arrow in the picture on the right conveys information about average runs scored in an innings and average runs scored between overs 12–20 by teams in IPL 2020. RCB like other teams tends to score 70 in the first twelve overs on an average. But when it’s time to level it up, the absence of a rigid hitter is felt if De Villiers succumbs.
Nevertheless, Maxwell’s batting style suiting both Hyderabad and Bengaluru, a move to Bengaluru makes sense.
With only four foreigner spots available for franchises, SRH would not want to bid for Maxwell, as three out of four spots are occupied by Warner, Rashid, and Williamson. The fourth spot might be a tussle amongst Marsh, Bairstow, and Nabi. Maxwell’s compatriot Marsh is a reputed all-rounder in the Australian domestic circuit and might be chosen to fulfill the team’s acceleration desire.
Marsh, a better bowling option, might be preferred to Maxwell, considering SRH squad conditions. Maxwell to SRH would not be an ideal win-win. That leaves us with RCB whose batting unit is entirely dependent on individual performances. Be it Gayle, DeVillers, or Kohli, RCB always had to rely on a one-man show over the years. Josh Philippe, another excellent Australian talent in the making has been retained. With Padikkal and Philippe opening, Kohli and ABD controlling the middle overs, Maxwell giving the final push to accelerate and decimate, would be the perfect batting line-up for RCB to dethrone Mumbai Indians and win their first-ever IPL. With his part-time bowling ability, he can act as their sixth bowler.
Maxwell to Royal Challengers Bengaluru! SOLD.
Graphs and Content — Raaghul Viswanath
