Table of Contents
Australian batting sensation Glenn Maxwell has had a dream start to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The new recruit of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) showed his sublime form in the first two games and continued with the rhythm in the clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday.
In the afternoon fixture at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, Maxwell arrived when RCB were struggling at 9 runs with a loss of two wickets inside two overs. Varun Chakravarthy had dismissed RCB captain Virat Kohli and then removed Rajat Patidar to claim two scalps.
Then, Maxwell took charge and decided to pull out his team from hot waters. He kept the scoreboard ticking along with opener Devdutt Padikkal. The pair went in to add a crucial stand of 86 runs for the third wicket before pacer Prasidh Krishna sent back Padikkal for 25 runs.
During the partnership with Padikkal, the Victorian completed his half-century from 28 balls after he guided a delivery bowled by Pat Cummins towards the long-on for a single.
Maxwell kept the celebrations low, but RCB skipper Kohli, who is known for his animated expressions, looked delighted with the effort of the Aussie star. Kohli was spotted on camera applauding the Australian and reacting in his own style.
Here is the video:
https://twitter.com/vivekdwivedi287/status/1383735182193160197
The RCB skipper applauds Glenn Maxwell's half-century 👏
Virat Kohli truly enjoys his teammates doing well 😁#IPL2021 #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/tEhhgLSZEk
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) April 18, 2021
Maxwell, De Villiers take RCB to top of standings
Maxi did not just stop after reaching the half-ton. He kept on hitting the balls nicely to power RCB to a dominant total. The Melbourne-lad formed a vital partnership of 53 runs for the fourth wicket with RCB’s backbone AB de Villiers.
While Cummins outdid Maxwell for 78 from 49 balls, De Villiers kept his stand alive and showed high-class batting by playing a blistering knock. The former South African skipper scored an unbeaten 76 off 34 balls at a breathtaking strike rate of 223.53, featuring nine fours and three sixes.
The explosive batting from Maxwell and De Villiers guided the Challengers to post 204/4 on the scoreboard.
In reply, the Knight Riders never looked like they would chase the massive target as Eoin Morgan and Co. kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. The two-time champions could only manage to reach 166/8, losing the contest by 38 runs.
It was RCB’s third back-to-back victory this season, and they have now climbed to the top spot of the points table with a net run rate of +0.750.
