"Maxi is playing as a bowler who can bat a bit" - Aakash Chopra on PBKS' XI in IPL 2025 win vs KKR
Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) team selection in their IPL 2025 clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He noted that Glenn Maxwell is being played as a bowler who can contribute a little with the bat as he hasn't been among the runs.
PBKS managed only 111 runs after opting to bat first in Match 31 of IPL 2025 in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 15. However, the home team bowled the visitors out for 95 to register a 16-run win.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener wondered why the Punjab Kings decided to bat first and played an underperforming Maxwell while dropping Marcus Stoinis.
"PBKS decided to bat first after winning the toss, and I said - Why? You were coming after getting nearly 250 runs chased in the previous match. You didn't have Lockie Ferguson as well. So you played Xavier Bartlett. You came to bat, and it seemed you were riding a flying horse. They thought they would start in New Chandigarh from where they left in Hyderabad," Chopra said (2:00).
"However, runs weren't scored. Wickets kept falling, and they posted a 111-run total. By the way, Marcus Stoinis was dropped, and wasn't unfit or unavailable. I got that news. They played Maxi and Josh Inglis. It's slightly surprising who you are choosing. Maxi is playing as a bowler who can bat a bit because he isn't scoring runs. That has been a problem," he added.
Glenn Maxwell was bowled by Varun Chakaravarthy for a 10-ball seven in PBKS' IPL 2025 clash against KKR. The spin-bowling all-rounder has aggregated 41 runs at a dismal average of 8.20 in five innings in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League.
"I believed this team would struggle if the opening partnership was going to be less than 40 runs" - Aakash Chopra on PBKS' batting in IPL 2025 win vs KKR
![Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh stitched together a 39-run opening partnership in PBKS' IPL 2025 clash vs KKR. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/adee9-17447780710126-1920.jpg?w=500)
Reflecting on the Punjab Kings' batting, Aakash Chopra praised Harshit Rana for striking two blows in his first over and noted that he had expected Shreyas Iyer and company to struggle if their openers didn't stitch together a substantial partnership.
"If you see Kolkata's bowling, Harshit Rana picked up wickets as soon as he was introduced into the attack, although a 39-run opening partnership had happened. I believed this team would struggle if the opening partnership was going to be less than 40 runs, and as it happened, they made 39 and were bundled out for 111," he said in the same video.
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the PBKS batters, especially Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell, were found wanting against spin.
"They surrendered against spin. The kind of shot Josh Inglis played, and after that, Glenn Maxwell was unable to read length. Wickets kept falling. There was no reprieve. There was no way to come out unscathed from there," Chopra observed.
Josh Inglis scored two runs off six deliveries and was bowled by Varun Chakaravarthy, much like Glenn Maxwell. Prabhsimran Singh (30 off 15) and Priyansh Arya (22 off 12) were the only PBKS players to score more than 20 runs in Tuesday's game.