3 teams that could target Glenn Maxwell in IPL 2025 Auction ft. CSK
Over the years, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has proven to be the definition of X-factor in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the right environment, with the right mindset, and at the right stage, there are few better than him in winning games and even trophies on his own. But those perfect conditions are difficult to conjure: hence, his three 400 or more-run seasons in 2014, 2021, and 2023 were jaw-dropping but so were 2015, 2020, and 2024, where he didn't even cross 150.
There's weight to former cricketers calling him an "overrated" IPL player. But then, what he did against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup, you can't help but be tempted to overlook that and consider him in a similar tier to AB de Villiers, where his impact on the sport is seen as much bigger than average, strike rate, 100s, and even titles.
Signing him in the upcoming IPL 2025 auction would be a gamble. Teams might have to either wait for more than a year to see his best or pray that he doesn't lose his form after one good year -- at the same time, that still might not reduce his price, purely because everyone knows his infinite ceiling.
Below are three franchises that might be the best placed to take the risk and try and get the best out of Maxwell. Although a return to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is possible for him, because of how happy and efficient he was there, we have excluded them from the list to explore other solutions.
#3 Punjab Kings
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) are one of the most obvious destinations for Maxwell in this auction. He left the franchise on a bad note after what he claimed was utter mismanagement and borderline tyrannical behavior from then-mentor Virender Sehwag.
But now Sehwag is nowhere near the control, Ricky Ponting is. The franchise has pressed the reset button and if Ponting's earlier coaching assignments are anything to go by, he loves working with players, especially Australians, who he knows off the field too -- Maxwell would be a statement signing for him.
Ponting can help provide a good environment for Maxwell, which might make it a happy homecoming to his first franchise, for which the all-rounder still seemingly shares a lot of love. PBKS also have the biggest budget of ₹110 crore, which would make it quite easy for them to outbid other suitors.
PBKS can see Maxwell as a captaincy option or simply a middle-order lynchpin. Perhaps the best way to go about it would be building a relatively less exciting and more stable squad around him, quite like Maxwell's best seasons at the franchise, so he gets the wiggle room to bat with freedom and give it back to the fans who once adored him so much.
#2 Lucknow Super Giants
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) also tick the two PBKS boxes -- a big enough purse at ₹69 crores and an Australian coach in Justin Langer who knows Maxwell. If after the amicable breakup with RCB, Maxwell is looking for a change, LSG won't be a bad destination.
The turning track at the Ekana Stadium will suit his batting and also bring his off-spin more into the game -- something that LSG missed last year. If Langer's coaching credentials and three Big Bash League titles are anything to go by, he would see the chance of putting Nicholas Pooran and Maxwell in the same middle-order and grab it with both hands.
There won't be a more feared middle-order pairing in the tournament, especially at Ekana, which might even allow Langer to make it his fortress. Even if LSG spend ₹15 crore-plus on Maxwell, a core of him, Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi is as complete as it gets in T20s.
Given LSG's issues with the departed skipper KL Rahul--the franchise owner remarked after the retention announcement that he wanted team players for LSG--Maxwell's unpredictability but attack-first personality would come as fresh air at LSG.
#1 Chennai Super Kings
In his book, The Showman, Maxwell had Virat Kohli write the foreword. In it, the Indian explained the idea behind getting the Aussie to RCB and how he thought (rightly) that with all the attention on Kohli and AB de Villiers', Maxwell could be freed up.
Later, Maxwell also wrote about how stability from the owners' side and a clear division of roles in the franchise helped him enjoy his cricket. If not RCB, there aren't many better places to fulfill those wishes than Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
One man takes all the attention here, MS Dhoni and the rest enjoy that slight relief from expectations, and the franchise is one of the best ran in the world. Maxwell would fit that CSK middle-order, which is still searching for the next Suresh Raina or Ambati Rayudu or someone with their ability against spin, and Maxwell could be just the right man.
He can be CSK's big-hitter at number three/four if Chepauk presents turning tracks and a good partner to the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube. His bowling would also give Gaikwad an extra option, and he might be able to see him how Dhoni saw Raina with the ball.
CSK's budget--₹55 crores--allows only one or two marquee signings and Maxwell (not to forget the fun the CSK fans will get if their franchise can plunder a geographic' rival's one of the best players) should be one of the best signings in IPL history if they can pull if off.