IPL 2021 Auction: Adam Zampa welcomes Glenn Maxwell to Royal Challengers Bangalore
Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa welcomed countryman Glenn Maxwell to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after he was purchased by the franchise for a whopping INR 14.25 crore at the IPL 2021 auction.
In an Instagram story, Zampa was seen presenting an RCB cap to his new teammate at the franchise, with both the players exchanging a warm smile.
Glenn Maxwell was sold to RCB for INR 14.25 crore after an intense bidding war with Chennai Super Kings. At RCB, the Big Show will join two other cricketing superstars - skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
The Aussie all-rounder was one of the players who entered the IPL 2021 auction with the highest base price of INR 2 crore.
Glenn Maxwell had a forgettable last season with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), after being purchased for INR 10.75 crore, and was subsequently released.
RCB have decided to place their fate in the maverick Australian all-rounder, and spent INR 14.25 crore of their remaining purse of INR 35.40 crore on one player.
RCB welcomed Glenn Maxwell with a post on Twitter that read:
“Big Show Maxi is #NowARoyalChallenger! A huge warm welcome to the RCB #ClassOf2021.”
Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell’s Aussie teammate and former captain Steve Smith was acquired by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.2 crore.
Experts react to Glenn Maxwel's IPL price
Here are some reactions to RCB signing Glenn Maxwell for INR 14.25 crore:
"It depends on what role each team wants him to play. He's a multi-skilled player, we all know how good he is in touch away from IPL. We will look to use him best, provide some extra power in the middle. We were after that X-factor player in the middle, and we found that in Maxwell, so we're delighted" - Royal Challengers Bangalore team director Mike Hesson
"He hasn't set IPL on fire. You can call him 'Big Show', but he's never been on show. He did his marketing right as well, he said he wanted to join RCB, now we need to wait and watch" - Gautam Gambhir
"I'm going with a 7/10. He's got international runs, it must count for something. CSK were equally keen to get him, else he would have been purchased at a lesser price. They've got with Maxwell, if he comes off it's great, otherwise RCB always give you something to talk about" - Aakash Chopra
Glenn Maxwell: IPL’s biggest enigma
Despite being one of the most dangerous players in the T20 version of the game, Glenn Maxwell hasn’t quite managed to find his bearings in the IPL.
Among one of the biggest buys in last year’s auction, Glenn Maxwell only managed to score 108 runs in 13 matches for Punjab Kings at a strike rate of 101.88. His best score in the edition was a disappointing 32.
With his part-time off-spin, Glenn Maxwell managed to claim three wickets but his economy rate was over eight. So it was not surprising that Punjab Kings decided to let him of prior to the IPL 2021 auction.
Overall, Glenn Maxwell has featured in 82 IPL games and has scored 1505 runs at a strike rate of 154.67. His best IPL season was in 2014, when he hammered 552 runs in 16 matches for the Punjab Kings at a strike rate of 187.75.