"Should've backed him" - Fans react as RCB drop Glenn Maxwell for IPL 2024 clash vs PBKS

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be without Glenn Maxwell for their crucial IPL 2024 clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday, May 9. The match will take place at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.

Maxwell has been in dismal form this season for RCB. The swashbuckling batter has scored just 36 runs across seven innings at an average of 5.14. The RCB think tank added an extra fast bowler, replacing the Australian star with Kiwi speedster Lockie Ferguson.

Following the announcement of the playing XI, several fans took to social media to react to Maxwell's absence. Here are some of the top reactions:

A few Bengaluru supporters suggested that we might have seen the last of Maxwell in the RCB jersey.

"RCB definitely not retaining Maxwell fot next year," commented a user.

"Maxwell dropped or rested.. Is it the last we see Maxwell in rcb," wrote another fan.

"It's a well needed move. Maxwell isn't helping the case at all," chimed in yet another.

It is worth mentioning this isn't the first time that RCB have benched Glenn Maxwell this season.

The all-rounder took a break after the first six fixtures following a string of failures. He returned to the team for their clash against Gujarat Titans (GT), where he was dismissed after scoring just four runs.

Bengaluru's contest with Punjab is of utmost importance for Faf du Plessis and Co. as they look to remain alive in the tournament.

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PBKS win the toss and elect to field first against RCB

Punjab's stand-in captain Sam Curran won the toss and elected to field first against Bengaluru. Speaking at the toss, he said:

"Going to bowl. Looks like they've watered the wicket a bit, might be something early on. Looking to put RCB under pressure early. With the side we've picked today, looking to take wickets with the new ball.

"Pretty simple for us now - need few results to go for us and win our remaining games. (Liam) Livingstone comes in for (Kagiso) Rabada. Our strength is our batting."

Here are the playing XIs for the PBKS vs RCB match:

PBKS: Jonny Bairstow(w), Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Sam Curran(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa.

RCB: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik(w), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson.