Glenn Maxwell has been the reason behind RCB's change of fortunes: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batter and now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that Glenn Maxwell is the major reason behind a change in the fortunes of Royal Challengers Bangalore. He lauded the Australian all-rounder for his consistent shows, as he notched up his third consecutive half-century in the UAE leg of the IPL.

Manjrekar’s comments came after Maxwell’s Player of the Match performance against Punjab Kings in Sharjah, as he slammed 57 in just 33 deliveries, with three fours and fours sixes to power RCB to a competitive 164-run total.

“… You have got a Maxwell coming in and playing the way he does; RCB’s story has been about Maxwell finding form after the UAE leg,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo. He also appreciated the efforts of Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Speaking about Chahal, who was one of the chief architects of RCB’s win against PBKS, Manjrekar said, “You can see in the mannerism that it [not being selected in the T20 World Cup squad] has hurt him. The dropping has really hurt him and you will see a better version of Chahal. He is going to make a comeback soon, it’s on the cards,” he added.

I feel like the last two years of IPL I have batted nicely: Glenn Maxwell

Meanwhile, Maxwell, after his team’s six-run win against PBKS said: “Came in at a nice time to bat. Lucky to hit the first couple of risks out of the middle. I feel like the last two years of IPL I have batted nicely. To have it set up by the openers today gave us some time to get an idea of the wicket. Coming into RCB they wanted me to do the exact same role (as with Australia). This (Sharjah) is probably the most difficult to adjust to. The spinners get it to skid on which means you have to be sharper at the start of your innings.”

RCB, who are currently third in the tally with 16 points from 12 fixtures, became the third team to qualify for the IPL 2021 playoffs after Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings.