Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, known for his aggressive batting and versatility, was a key player for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the IPL during his first stint with the franchise from 2014-17. After a brilliant season in 2014, where he scored 552 runs with a striking rate over 187, Maxwell faced challenges, particularly during the 2017 season, when his form waned, and in his latest book, Maxwell revealed his role became complicated by internal team dynamics.

Maxwell opened up on the shifting power structure, and how India's legendary former batter, Virender Sehwag, calling shots despite not officially being in charge, strained their relationship. Sehwag had taken up the mentorship role with the Punjab franchise in the 2017 season, with Maxwell being named the side's captain. However, the relationship between the duo strained, as Maxwell revealed Sehwag imposed his presence and also decided the Playing XI.

“When it came to selection, I thought it might be a good idea to bring the coaches into a WhatsApp group to make our decisions. Everyone agreed to this and shared their teams, with the exception of Sehwag,” Maxwell wrote in his book, the excerpt of which was published on ESPNCricinfo.

“At the end of the process, he made it clear that he would pick the starting XI, end of story. We were losing on and off the field by now, with Sehwag on more than one occasion making decisions that didn't necessarily make sense.”

‘We never spoke again’

Maxwell then revealed how his relationship with Sehwag became worse after the PBKS mentor publicly criticised the Australian.

“The season came down to our final group game against Pune away from home, and we had a shocker batting first on a wet wicket, rolled for 73. It was all over. In the context of what was going on, I'm still quite proud of how we were able to broadly keep the show on the road until that stage,” Maxwell began.

"I was also happy with how I performed, doing the right thing as leader by giving myself the chance to influence games at the right time with bat and ball. Of course, we were all flat not to make the post-season, but it could have been so much worse.

"I volunteered to do press that night, but Sehwag said he would instead. Upon getting onto the team bus, I found I'd been deleted from the main WhatsApp group. What was going on here? By the time we reached the hotel my phone was blowing up, with Sehwag having unloaded on me as a "big disappointment", blaming me for not taking responsibility as captain, and all the rest. It was unpleasant, especially when I thought we had parted on good terms."

Maxwell, clearly shocked by Sehwag's comments, decided to text the India legend, only to face further rebuke.

"I texted him to say how much it hurt to read those comments and added that he had lost a fan in me for the way he had conducted himself. Sehwag's response was simple: "Don't need fan like you." We never spoke again. I knew my time was at an end and told the owners as much: if Sehwag was going to stick around, they were making a mistake and not to bother with me. He only lasted one more season," Maxwell wrote.

The Australian all-rounder did return for another stint with Punjab Kings in 2020; Sehwag had left the franchise two years back. However, it was a failed reunion for the all-rounder. Since 2021, Maxwell has been representing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Read Also: Shoaib Akhtar blasts PCB over 'selfish approach' by producing spinning wickets, calls out 'wrong mindset in wrong jobs'

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON !