Glenn Maxwell destroys Virender Sehwag's reputation, leaks private chat, and reveals shocking IPL 2017 details

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell revealed how his relationship with former Indian opener Virender Sehwag deteriorated during the IPL 2017 season. Glenn Maxwell said that Virender Sehwag made the final decision for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) despite not being the head coach of the team.

Maxwell was picked by Punjab Kings before the IPL 2014 season, following two underwhelming seasons with Delhi and Mumbai. The right-handed batter scored 552 runs with an impressive strike rate of over 187 during that season. The team reached the final but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Glenn Maxwell Released by Punjab Kings After IPL 2017 Season

After his impressive 2014 season, Maxwell struggled to score before being released in 2017. He made a return to the franchise in 2020 but only scored 108 runs in 13 matches. Overall, he scored 1,294 runs at an average of 24.42 and a strike rate of 24.42, including six fifties during his time with Punjab.

Virender Sehwag Made It Clear That He Would Pick The Starting XI - Glenn Maxwell

In an excerpt from his book The Showman, Glenn Maxwell said that he initially believed that the team was united in their approach, but soon realized that Sehwag was actually making the key decisions behind the scenes. He said that this led to confusion among the coaching staff and players.

"We discussed how the team would operate and I thought we were all on the same page," Glenn Maxwell said.

"How wrong I was. Our coach, J Arunkumar, was coming in for his first season, and it became clear to him that he was coach in name only, with Sehwag pulling the strings. Winning papers over cracks, and as we got up in the first two games, the confusion behind the scenes was ignored. Privately, though, I had coaches and players coming to me asking what on earth was going on, and I found it difficult to give them a straight answer," he added.

"When it came to selection, I thought it might be a good idea to bring the coaches into a WhatsApp group to make our decisions. Everyone agreed to this and shared their teams, with the exception of Sehwag. At the end of the process, he made it clear that he would pick the starting XI, end of story. We were losing on and off the field by now, with Sehwag on more than one occasion making decisions that didn't necessarily make sense."

We Never Spoke Again - Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell recounted a challenging end to the IPL 2017 season, where his team faced a humiliating defeat against Pune. Maxwell said that he felt proud of his leadership and performance throughout the season despite failing to advance to the playoffs.

The all-rounder said that he wanted to attend the post-match press conference, but Virender took over that responsibility. He said that he learned that Sehwag had criticized him as a "big disappointment" for not taking responsibility as captain.

Maxwell said that it was particularly painful to be removed from the PBKS WhatsApp group suddenly and he also revealed Sehwag's shocking reply after he expressed his disappointment to the India legend over his comments.

"The season came down to our final group game against Pune away from home, and we had a shocker batting first on a wet wicket, rolled for 73. It was all over. In the context of what was going on, I'm still quite proud of how we were able to broadly keep the show on the road until that stage. I was also happy with how I performed, doing the right thing as leader by giving myself the chance to influence games at the right time with bat and ball. Of course, we were all flat not to make the post-season, but it could have been so much worse," Maxwell further stated.

"I volunteered to do press that night, but Sehwag said he would instead. Upon getting onto the team bus, I found I'd been deleted from the main WhatsApp group. What was going on here? By the time we reached the hotel my phone was blowing up, with Sehwag having unloaded on me as a "big disappointment", blaming me for not taking responsibility as captain, and all the rest. It was unpleasant, especially when I thought we had parted on good terms."

"I texted him to say how much it hurt to read those comments and added that he had lost a fan in me for the way he had conducted himself. Sehwag's response was simple: "Don't need fan like you." We never spoke again."

Also read: "Worse than 46 all out": Simon Doull, Ian Smith brutally mock India batters following Pune Test failure