Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has decided to take an indefinite break from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. Maxwell revealed the news as he spoke to media during the press conference after RCB’s bitter defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday night. Maxwell, who has courted plenty of criticism owing to his poor form with the bat, wasn’t part of the XI against SRH, with Will Jacks taking his place. After the game, Maxwell explained that he asked skipper Faf du Plessis to try someone else himself.

In the press conference, Maxwell said that he isn’t in a good ‘mental and physical space’ at the moment. Hence, decided to take a break. The Australian all-rounder didn’t specify the length for which he decides to sit out.

“For me, personally, it was a pretty easy decision,” Maxwell said after RCB’s sixth defeat in seven matches. “I went to Faf [du Plessis] and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else. I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right. If I’m required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact.

“We have had a pretty big deficiency straight after the powerplay, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat, and with the results and the position we find ourselves on the table, I think it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to show their wares, and hopefully, someone can make that spot their own.”

It isn’t the first time Maxwell has taken a break from the game over mental fatigue. With things not going right for the veteran cricketer, he decided it’s best for the franchise to use other options while he rejuvinates and looks to bounce back with strength.

“T20 cricket can be like that sometimes – it’s a pretty fickle game,” he said. “Even if you look at the first game, I ran one off the middle of the bat to the keeper. I picked up the length really well, saw a scoring opportunity, but opened the face a little bit too much. When you are going well, that goes wide of the gloves, you get a boundary, you are 4 off 1, and you are away for the tournament.

“I probably just haven’t got away – it’s as simple as that. In the first few games, I feel I made reasonably good decisions, but I was still finding ways to get out. It can happen in T20 cricket and when it snowballs like that, you can go searching and try too hard and forget the basics of the game.”

Earlier, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar had also criticised Maxwell for his poor show in the IPL, saying the Aussie is just not able to play fast bowling.

“He has been unable to play fast bowling, period,” former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports

“Balls bouncing to his chest or shoulder height are troubling him. He can whack every ball below his waist height, but not the ones above that.”