What’s the story?
Kings XI Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell expressed his delight with speedster Sandeep Sharma after the 23-year-old’s four-wicket haul helped his side to a convincing win over Delhi Daredevils on Sunday which will allow Kings XI to keep themselves in contention for a spot in the knockout stages of the 2017 IPL.
Maxwell also revealed the thought process behind his decision to bowl out himself and Axar Patel with four overs on the trot after coming into bowl at the end of the powerplay overs.
“Bowling three overs in the powerplay is a tough job, but he (Sandeep) has taken the job in his stride and he does a great job for us all the time,” Maxwell said. “Probably missing out last game was probably the kick on the bum that he probably needed and you just saw the performance today.”
As for his own bowling performance, Maxwell said: “Luckily enough, I was able to get through four overs with no boundaries. I think that was probably the main thing. If I got hit for a boundary here and there, I probably would take myself off and go to the quicks.
“But I was able to stretch through four overs without too much damage and Axar is just doing a great job. He is our No 1 spinner.”
In case you didn’t know...
Delhi Daredevils plummetted to their fifth loss on the trot in this season’s IPL when they were beaten convincingly by Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on Sunday. Put into bat after losing the toss, Delhi were bowled out for just 67 runs – the second lowest total of the 2017 IPL thus far after RCB’s 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Man-of-the-Match Sandeep Sharma picked up four wickets while Axar Patel and Varun Aaron picked up a couple of wickets each. The surprising factor, however, was Maxwell who bowled four overs on the trot after bringing himself on after seven overs, conceding just 12 runs as well as picking up the crucial wicket of Rishabh Pant.
The heart of the matter
Named as the skipper of the side ahead of the 2017 IPL season, Maxwell has enjoyed a good run of form with both bat and ball for Kings XI Punjab. While his batting credentials have never been in doubt in the T20 format, he has been trying to put in as many overs as possible so that he can be useful to the side as a quality all-rounder.
Talking about his plans for the Delhi game on Sunday as skipper of the side, Maxwell revealed that he was initially only thinking about bowling a couple of overs but chose to continue since he was able to contain the scoring. He added that he would not have hesitated to take himself off the attack had the opposition went after him.
Along will Maxwell, Axar Patel also completed his quota of four overs on the trot and the skipper was full of praise for the 23-year-old who he described as the side’s lead spinner.
The hero of the day was, however, Sandeep Sharma who decimated the Delhi top order dismissing Sanju Samson, Sam Billings and Karun Nair before coming back into the attack later on to pick up the wicket of Kagiso Rabada.
The performance from Kings XI’s leading fast bowler no doubt pleased Maxwell who called on him to carry forward the momentum in the upcoming matches after making an indifferent start to the IPL which also saw him being dropped for the side’s previous fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
What’s next?
The 10-wicket win over Delhi helped Punjab secure fifth spot in the IPL points table, two points ahead of Gujarat Lions, with five wins from nine matches so far. Their next fixture is against the struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore and Maxwell will be hoping that his side can carry forward the confidence gained by today’s victory as they aim into the top 4 before the end of the league stage.
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Author's take
With three wickets at an economy rate of less than 7, Maxwell has proved more than a handy bowler in the IPL so far. He has been working hard on his bowling so as to improve his chances of selection for Australia and Kings XI Punjab are enjoying the results of the same.
There is no doubt that he can be a good wicket-taking option with the ball but there is always a risk that he could be taken apart on any given day. As skipper of the side, it is up to Maxwell himself to decide on the risk and take an appropriate call on the day.
