"I have been a massive beneficiary of the IPL, it fast-tracked my international T20 career" - Glenn Maxwell
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been life-changing for Australia's Glenn Maxwell. The 32-year-old acknowledged that he has been a huge beneficiary of the tournament in a recent interview.
Glenn Maxwell made his debut in both limited-overs formats for Australia in 2012, followed by a Test debut in 2013. However, only after the 2014 edition of the IPL did he become a regular in the Australian team.
The batting all-rounder mentioned that his breakout 2014 season, where he scored 552 runs in 16 matches, earned him a sub-continent specialist tag, thereby making it to the Australian squads for all three formats.
"I have been a massive beneficiary of the IPL. It has certainly fast-tracked my international T20 career, I have been able to experience the Indian conditions, we had an IPL in Dubai in 2014 and I was able to perform really well over there."
"After that, I got a bit pigeon-holed in Australia over being a sub-continent specialist. It got me a few ODIs and Test tours which I probably would not have been able to do if not for the IPL," Maxwell said in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.
Glenn Maxwell reminisces the time spent with Sachin Tendulkar during IPL 2013
Before he was picked by the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2014, Glenn Maxwell represented the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2013. The Aussie explained how the interactions with Sachin Tendulkar while playing for MI were a huge learning experience.
Click here to know the current orange cap holder in IPL 2021.
"I still remember chatting with Sachin Tendulkar in my first year at the IPL, the fact the I was an Aussie, I joked with him, I think he liked that. He was brilliant in the sort of way he opened up his world. Every year you come to the IPL, it is a massive learning experience," he added.
Glenn Maxwell is playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this season. In the team's opening game against the Mumbai Indians, he displayed his class with a timely 28-ball 39 that helped his team chase a target of 160 runs.