“Glenn Maxwell is playing as a bowler who can bat a bit” - Former Indian cricketer on PBKS all-rounder

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has lashed out at Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for not giving his best with the willow. Interestingly, Maxwell has been contributing in a better way with the ball instead.

In the ongoing IPL 2025, Glenn Maxwell could score only 41 runs from four innings while he scalped three wickets with the ball in hand. In the match against KKR, Maxwell returned with figures of 1/5 in two overs.

"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," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"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.

After opting to bat first, Punjab Kings could score only 111 runs in 15.3 overs. KKR star pacer Harshit Rana turned the game upside down with three important wickets. In reply, KKR could score only 95 runs in 15.1 overs.

PBKS spinner Yuzvendra Chahal stunned the opposition with his bowling figures of 4/28, while pacer Marco Jansen picked three scalps to hand PBKS a 16-run win.

"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.

"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 concluded.

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