Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell finally got his golden-touch back in the Indian Premier League after an underwhelming last season. Maxwell, who was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a hefty Rs. 14.25 crore, proved his worth in the very first game of the 14th edition with a crucial 28-ball 39-run knock against Mumbai Indians.
Maxwell who failed to hit a six for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the last edition, broke the jinx and hit two against the defending champions as RCB went on to win the last ball thriller by 2 wickets.
After the match, Maxwell talked about his innings and said with captain Virat Kohli at the other end, the job becomes easier for him on Friday.
“It certainly felt good. I did not hit a single six last year, I did remind Virat of me not hitting a six last year. To hit one out of the middle, it is a bit of monkey off the back. It is nice to start well and to have the captain at the other end, it makes my job a little easier,” Glenn Maxwell, who hit 28-ball 39, told his teammate Harshal Patel during an interaction.
Apart from Maxwell, Harshal was the other new recruit of RCB who shone against Mumbai Indians. The 30-year-old become the first-ever bowler in IPL history to claim a five-wicket haul against the five-time champions.
Harshal opened up on his plans after the match and reveals how he tried to be deceptive against a quality Mumbai batting line-up.
“Obviously, it felt great. It was my first fifer ever in T20s, that felt special and this coming against such a good batting lineup, it was cherry on top. The ball started tailing a bit so I wanted to hit them on the toes and if they miss, it will hit the stumps and I knew if they are waiting for the yorkers, my slower balls can be really deceptive. So, I was just trying to mix it up and get as many wickets as I can,” Harshal told Maxwell.
Harshal further talked about the conversation between him and AB de Villiers during the chase as eventually, he was the one who hit the winnings runs for RCB on the last ball.
“I told AB de Villiers when I got there that I am there with you and we are going to win this game. Obviously, whenever you hit the winning runs, it does not matter whether it is a boundary or a single, it is a special feeling. Great day on the field,” he added.