Shreyas Iyer, Ricky Ponting asked to show no mercy and drop Maxwell: ‘He’s had his run, the way he's getting…'
IPL 2025, PBKS vs KKR: Glenn Maxwell is yet to fire with the bat in hand. Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull wants the Australian to be dropped.
Punjab Kings might have won three out of their five games, but the side are yet to fire at all cylinders. Glenn Maxwell is yet to come to the party and his performances with the bat in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 have left much to be desired. Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull has asked captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting to bench the all-rounder as his time is up.
In his four chances to bat in IPL 2025, the right-handed Maxwell has registered scores of 0, 30, 1 and 3, aggregating 34 runs. With the ball in hand, he has taken three wickets.
Maxwell has looked a pale shadow of himself, and not once has he looked set in the middle. He might have scored 30 runs against Rajasthan Royals, but he was far from fluent.
Simon Doull believes it is high time that Punjab Kings trust Azmatullah Omarzai or Josh Inglis and leave out Maxwell. It must be mentioned that throughout his career, Maxwell has had just one or two seasons where he has lived up to the billing in the IPL.
“I think Maxwell has had his run. I mean, just the way he's getting out at the moment, it would frustrate me as a coach,” Doull said on Cricbuzz.
“That's the disappointing thing, I think, from their point of view. So Omarzai's in for him, Inglis in for him, would be something I'd probably look at,” he added.
Lockie Ferguson would be a big miss
Punjab Kings pacer Lockie Ferguson is all but ruled out of the IPL 2025 after suffering an injury in the previous match against SunRisers Hyderabad.
Doull believes Lockie Ferguson would be a big miss for the Shreyas Iyer-led side, and it will be interesting to see who the team brings into the lineup.
"Big loss for them in Lockie Ferguson. He bowled two balls in that game. Remember now, that might have made quite a big difference in that run chase. I think, you know, they had to go to Stoinis, they had to go to others, when they would probably have preferred Lockie's pace through the middle," said Doull.
"So he is now out, which I'm not sure for how long, so that leaves a bit of a hole in their genuine pace bowling options," he added.
