The IPL 2022 Mega Auction is done and dusted. All ten teams have picked over 20 players who will stay with them for the next three years at least. While seven teams had already announced their captain going into the mega auction, the rest three teams will be announcing their leaders very soon. Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore increased the number of candidates who can lead them at the mega auction and now have at least three options available with them.
While KKR and PBKS look more settled in terms of deciding the leader, Royal Challengers Bangalore are still wondering about whom to hand over the baton after Kohli has stepped down. From RCB’s three retentions-Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammad Siraj- only Maxwell looked like a potential option. However, they now have Faf du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik in the mix, who also have captaincy experience.
While the RCB management will still be figuring out the successor to Virat Kohli, former India great Sunil Gavaskar has chipped in with a suggestion. The former India captain is of the opinion that Glenn Maxwell looks like the best option for the leadership role as it can bring the best out of him.
In a Q&A session on SportsTak with fans, while replying to a query from a fan about who can be RCB’s next captain, Gavaskar immediately came up with Glenn Maxwell’s name. The 72-year-old said that giving him the leadership role will make him a different player altogether. “I think if Glenn Maxwell is given the responsibility then a different kind of Maxwell will be seen in IPL. Last year he batted brilliantly probably keeping the mega auction in mind, but he was retained after that, which was good, I guess, for him,” said Gavaskar.
He will score more and play batter: Sunil Gavaskar
The former cricketer also added that when Maxwell will be the captain, he will work on his shot selection and look to play long innings rather than scoring quick 30-40 runs.
“We have often seen that players who bat well but score 30-40 runs quickly and get out without getting the job done- especially when suppose the team requires 70 or 80 runs more. But when these same players are given a responsibility then they played well showing better shot selection. So, if Maxwell is given the captaincy, he will score more and play better,” he added.
Notably, Maxwell has captaincy experience in IPL with Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in 2017. He has a 50% win percentage. Apart from IPL, Maxwell also leads Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.
