IPL 2021: It Has Surprised Me That Glenn Maxwell Has Done So Well At RCB - Kevin Pietersen

Former England captain, Kevin Pietersen admits that Glenn Maxwell has surpassed his expectations in IPL 2021 with just 3 innings for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Despite Maxwell’s poor outing last season, RCB splurged out Rs 14.25 crore for the all-rounder at the February auction. He has repaid the faith right at the start of the tournament.

In 4 games, he has batted thrice, scoring 176 runs at a strike rate of 149.15 on the difficult Chennai pitch helping his side win those games; Maxwell had scored just 108 runs, without hitting a single six in the entire IPL 2020, hence Kevin Pietersen was doubtful of RCB’s big-money purchase.

The 40-year-old believes that the main reason for Maxwell’s success at RCB could be the comparatively lesser limelight he receives because of the presence of two other stalwarts in Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

“I was sceptical of RCB’s purchase of Glenn Maxwell at the beginning of the tournament, partly because he is ‘The Big Show’ – he likes to be the main man in the teams he plays in. He certainly isn’t that here, with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers at the top of the tree, so it’s surprised me that he’s done so well,” Kevin Pietersen wrote in his blog for Betway.

We Haven’t Seen That Inconsistency Yet This Season: Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen, who played for RCB in 2009 and 2010, reckons the management must have made Maxwell feel very warm and comfortable, which has resulted in the batter being more consistent this season than he has been in the past few years of the IPL.

“He must feel very comfortable in the set-up there. I know that if you make Maxwell feel comfortable and pump his tyres a bit then you will see huge benefits. He is a fabulous player. He can be inconsistent, but we haven’t seen that inconsistency yet this season,” Pietersen added.

Each of Maxwell’s three innings has had a massive impact on the victory of Virat Kohli’s side, who is the only team unbeaten in the tournament yet. They lead the points table after their fourth win over the Rajasthan Royals and will next meet MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings on Sunday afternoon.

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