IPL 2025: Punjab Kings (PBKS) ka season thoda jhatke ke saath shuru hua jab unhe Rajasthan Royals (RR) ke against apne first home match mein 51 runs se haar ka samna karna pada. Top order ke jaldi out hone ke baad, Glenn Maxwell ko powerplay ke turant baad 43/4 ke score par crease par aana pada.
Maxwell ne Nehal Wadhera ke saath milkar innings ko sambhalne ki koshish ki aur 88-run ki partnership bhi jodi. Lekin slog overs ke aate hi Maheesh Theekshana ne Maxwell ko 30 (21 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) par dismiss kar diya. Maxwell ke out hote hi Wadhera bhi agle over ki pehli ball par nikal gaye, aur us waqt PBKS ko chahiye the 75 runs from 29 balls. Lower-order kuch khaas nahi kar paya aur team sirf 155/9 tak pahuch paayi.
“He looked like he was just starting to get some rhythm into his batting. He had a really good partnership (with Wadhera). Maxi was just about to get in front of the game but he got out. There were good signs (in the innings). When he came in, there was pressure. They (Wadhera and Maxwell) wrestled the momentum back in our favour.” – Brad Haddin
“With guys like Maxi, you know at some stage they are going to win you the game. They’ve done it over a generation.” – Brad Haddin
PBKS coach Brad Haddin ne Glenn Maxwell ka pura support kiya, jab unse poocha gaya ki kya unki form concern ka subject hai, especially after Sanjay Manjrekar ne unhe ‘Halley’s Comet’ kehkar criticize kiya tha – matlab ek baar chamakte hain fir lamba gap.
Maxwell IPL 2025 ke mega auction mein PBKS ke liye ₹4.4 crore mein aaye the, lekin ab tak unka performance mixed raha hai. Gujarat Titans ke against unka pehla match sirf 0 run par khatam hua. Aur pichle season mein RCB ke liye sirf 52 runs in 9 innings – that too forgettable tha.
Ab Maxwell ko prove karna hoga ki woh sirf ek flashy naam nahi, balki match-winner bhi hain. PBKS ka agla match April 8 ko Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ke against hai – aur CSK bhi form mein nahi hai. To Maxwell ke paas hai golden mauka apne critics ko wrong prove karne ka.
