'His retirement was a shocker' - Glenn Maxwell missing AB de Villiers in RCB dressing room

Glenn Maxwell was one of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s mandatory retentions for IPL 2022 along with batting megastar Virat Kohli and India pace sensation Mohammed Siraj. He is available for selection and could feature in RCB’s playing XI during their next match against the Mumbai Indians on April 9.

As Maxwell looks forward to playing his first game this season, he has recalled his fond memories of spending some quality time with former South African skipper AB de Villiers in the 2021 edition. The Australian power-hitter along with Kohli and ABD formed RCB’s famed batting line-up back then. At the same time, Glenn Maxwell has also revealed how much de Villiers’ presence is missed.

AB de Villiers is still a superstar: Glenn Maxwell

“I suppose when he (ABD) had announced this (retirement from all forms of the game in November) it was probably a little bit of a shocker. I thought he was probably going to go one more year and had everything that we expect from AB. He is still a superstar, he has played the roles for us and he was still leading by example. It was just great to have him in the changing room as well”, said Maxwell while speaking on RCB ‘Bold Diaries’.

Maxi talks about missing AB de Villiers, how he came into his own in the RCB setup last year, plans for the 2022 season, and why he believes in having fun and spreading smiles, on @kreditbee presents Bold Diaries.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #Mission2022 #RCB #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/5kBgvXJ9z4

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 8, 2022

AB de Villiers was an integral part of RCB for a decade. After his shocking retirement from the game, it was rumored that he could be roped in as the franchise’s mentor for the ongoing season. It is to be noted that ‘Mr.360’ is the sixth-highest run-getter in IPL history, having amassed 5162 from 184 matches averaging 39.71 and a strike rate of 151.69 including 40 half-centuries and 3 centuries.

Coming back to the 2022 season, Glenn Maxwell was not a part of Bangalore’s first three matches. He recently tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend Vini Raman for which he had also missed Australia’s all-format tour of Pakistan. The all-rounder could not participate in the marquee tournament till April 5 due to Cricket Australia (CA)’s central contract rule.

Having finished as RCB’s leading run-scorer last season with 513 runs from 15 outings, the power-hitter would now be looking to start afresh on a positive note should he get a chance against Mumbai Indians.