“The balance came up on the screen and I genuinely panicked” - When Glenn Maxwell recalled Mumbai Indians signing in IPL 2013

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been instrumental in changing the careers of cricketers overnight. Franchises have shelled whopping amounts at the auction to rope in their favorite players, which in turn, have changed players' fates in no time. A similar instance happened with Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell back in 2013, which left the cricketer panicking.

Hailed for his big-hitting abilities, Maxwell was signed by the Delhi Capitals (previously known as Delhi Daredevils) for IPL 2012. However, he could manage to play only two matches, and the franchise parted ways with him at the end of the season.

Maxwell went to the World Twenty20 that year with the X-factor tag. Although he failed to live up to the hype, he was touted as one of the highest earners going into IPL 2013.

And rightly so, the Mumbai Indians splurged ₹5.3 crore on the Australian, and the franchise co-owner Nita Ambani justified the price tag by saying at that time (via ESPNCricinfo):

"He is an upcoming youngster. He can bat, bowl and I think he is a great fielder. We had thought of some names before we came here and he was one of them."

However, the exorbitant amount even left Glenn Maxwell surprised. During his appearance on the Howie Games podcast last year, the Victorian revealed he was taken aback by his bank account balance after withdrawing money from an ATM in England.

“I remember being in England in 2013. I went to the ATM to get some money out and the balance came up on the screen and I genuinely panicked, because I’d never seen that amount of money before," Maxwell said via The Indian Express. "It was a six figures amount. I was like… I absolutely shit myself. It’s not my account. I was like, I don’t know what’s happened here. I called back home and I was like, I don’t know what to do."

Maxwell further revealed that he met a financial advisor after returning to Australia from England who helped him sort his finances. The 36-year-old added:

"Then I got home and met a financial advisor. We were pretty close and he helped me out finding someone in that space and basically talked about what I wanted to do with my money. I think that was the big transition was being, I suppose, at a point where I was able to put my money in places where I had no idea what I was doing with it. I never imagined I’d have that. I think when you think about money growing up, you’re like, I’ll just buy a house with a bunch of cash and hopefully, everything’s sorted and you get a car and everything else would just fall in place."

However, Glenn Maxwell failed to live up to the price tag. He played only three matches that year and scored 36 runs with a highest score of 23 and went wicketless.

Mumbai parted ways with him at the end of the season, and Maxwell was signed by the Punjab Kings (previously known as Kings XI Punjab) for ₹6 crore. The Australian had a breakthrough season that year, scoring 552 runs in 16 games at an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of almost 190. Maxwell smashed four half-centuries and played a pivotal role in taking Punjab to the final where they lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders to finish as runner-up.

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Glenn Maxwell returns to the Punjab Kings after five years

Glenn Maxwell was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru after IPL 2024 and the mighty Australian joined the mega auction that took place last year.

He had bidders in SunRisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings but Punjab had the last laugh, signing Maxwell for ₹4.2 crore. At Punjab, Maxwell will unite with fellow countryman Ricky Ponting who has roped in as the head coach.

He has joined the PBKS camp and commenced preparations ahead of their first IPL 2025 game against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 25.