Glenn Maxwell blames Chinnaswamy Stadium for RCB's disastrous start to IPL 2024

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Australian middle-order batsman Glenn Maxwell has blamed the unexpected conditions at RCB's home ground of M. Chinnaswamy as the key reason behind his poor form. Maxwell, who won his 2nd ICC Cricket World Cup trophy last year in the final against India, hasn't been able to put up the kind of performances that are expected from his bat.

Although these are the early days of the season but the Big Show himself knows that he has been the weakest batting link of the team after his team's first 4 matches. 

Glenn Maxwell had entered the 2024 edition of Indian Premier League in not the best of forms as he didn't have much to show for during Australia's 3-match T20I series in New Zealand just before IPL began.

While the Aussies under the leadership of Mitchell Marsh had clinched the series by 3-0, Maxwell's form and performance was under major scrutiny.

In the entire series, the Big Show had a combined score of 51 runs across the 3 matches that were played in Wellington (1st) and Auckland (2nd & 3rd). 

Before the series in New Zealand, Glenn Maxwell had taken part in the home T20 series against West Indies. After scoring 10 runs in the first match in Hobart, Maxwell responded with an emphatic 120* in Adelaid before scoring scoring just 12 runs in the final match at Perth's Optus stadium.

But in his last 4 matches for Australia in the shortest format before IPL, Maxwell had scores of 12, 25, 6 and 20 and his poor form has continued thus far in IPL. 

Glenn Maxwell indirectly takes a dig at Chinnaswamy's pitch curators 

While speaking to ESPNcricinfo recently, Glenn Maxwell happened to take an indirect dig towards the pitch curators of M. Chinnaswamy stadium with his comments about the surface been laid out this year. The 35-year-old admitted that his as well as RCB's IPL 2024 season has not really started off well and that has a lot to do with the conditions on their home ground.

Out of their first 4 matches, the Royal Challengers have played 3 games at home against Punjab Kings (W), Kolkata Knight Riders (L) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). 

But for a fact, the surface in Chinnaswamy is just as it had been for the last 10-12 seasons, a tailor made track to bat.

It might have gotten a bit slow and opposing bowlers might have done their home work before heading to the venue but Glenn Maxwell must also admit that his shot selections has been pretty questionable as well.  

"It obviously hasn't been a great start for us or myself individually. It's been a little bit of struggle. I think we've been probably caught a little bit behind with our conditions that we've probably produced in the first few home games as well." - Maxwell said via ESPNcricinfo.

RCB to face Rajasthan Royals tomorrow in Jaipur

Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell will have a chance to stretch his arms tomorrow when RCB visits the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur to take on Rajasthan Royals. Maxwell won't have to worry this time about the conditions and it remains to be seen if he can score a half-century tomorrow or not.