IPL 2021: Had Maxwell done well in IPL, he wouldn’t have played for so many teams: Gambhir

Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir has said that all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been disappointing throughout his stint at the Indian Premier League (IPL).

In IPL 2021, Maxwell would be seen representing Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after he was bought by the franchise for Rs 14.25 crore. In the past, Maxwell has represented Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

“Had Maxwell done really well in the IPL, he wouldn’t have played for so many franchises, to be honest. He’s played for so many franchises because he’s not been consistent at all. We can’t keep talking about ‘he hasn’t had the freedom’ for the previous franchises he’s played for... when he played for Delhi, he had a lot of freedom.

"Most of these franchises and coaches — because they think he’s an X-factor — they want to try and provide him with the best platform where he can succeed,” Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo.

“The most unfortunate thing is that despite getting that platform, he has not succeeded, apart from that one season in 2014 where he set the IPL on fire. Had he done that, I think none of the franchises would have released him. Look at what Andre Russell has done for KKR and the amount of time he’s spent at one franchise,” he added.

Further elaborating his point on Maxwell, Gambhir said: “The only reason why a franchise releases you is because you haven’t performed. The more franchises you play for, it just shows you haven’t really been able to get settled in any of the franchises. Hopefully, he delivers this time around because every year, he keeps getting more and more money just because he does really well for Australia. So hopefully from RCB’s point of view, he can do really well.”

“He’s probably got freedom more than any other player in the IPL. I feel he has been very disappointing throughout the IPL, but hopefully, this time around he can turn it,” he added.

IPL 2021 will commence on April 9 with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) locking horns in the tournament opener.