Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar made a striking comparison regarding Glenn Maxwell as the all-rounder's inconsistent performance in the IPL came under scrutiny once again. Maxwell managed to score 30 runs against the Rajasthan Royals, contributing to Punjab Kings' defeat in their opening match of the season on Saturday night. The team struggled to keep pace with the Royals during the chase, ultimately falling short by 50 runs.

In the challenging pursuit of 206 runs, Maxwell faced the daunting task of leading his team to victory following a collapse in the top order. He provided some stability alongside young Nehal Wadhera during the powerplay, giving Punjab a glimmer of hope, but he squandered his wicket at a pivotal moment in the match.

Maxwell entered the batting order in the seventh over, prompting Manjrekar to draw an astronomical analogy during the commentary, likening Maxwell's batting performance to Halley's Comet. 

“Halley's Comet orbits the sun and is visible from Earth once every 75 years. Similarly, Glenn Maxwell delivers a standout performance once in 75 matches. The comet was last observed in 1986 and will next appear in 2061. This mirrors Maxwell's batting consistency. Glenn Maxwell is the Halley’s Comet of cricket," Manjrekar remarked on JioHotstar.

Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was also in the commentary box, did not fully concur with Manjrekar's assessment but suggested that "Maxwell plays one good match in 25 games."

Since joining the IPL in 2012, Maxwell has only achieved the milestone of 400 or more runs in three seasons. In the previous season with RCB, he managed to score a mere 52 runs across 10 matches.

Maxwell fails to take PBKS over the line

In the meantime, Maxwell and Wadhera demonstrated commendable resilience during their 88-run partnership; however, the remaining Punjab batsmen were unable to meet expectations, contributing to a total of just 155-9. Maxwell scored 30 runs off 21 balls, including one four and one six, but he was unable to accelerate the innings when Punjab required it most.

Theekshana dismissed Maxwell (30) by having him caught in the deep, and shortly thereafter, fellow Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga removed Wadhera (62) on the very first ball of the next over, significantly hindering the chase.

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