Felt good to hit ball out of the middle against MI: Maxwell

But in the IPL 2021 opener, the batsman managed to change his fortunes as he played a knock of 39 runs, including two sixes. RCB defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling encounter on Friday

Chennai: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Glenn Maxwell has said that he certainly felt good after hitting two sixes against Mumbai  Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 opener as he failed to hit a single six last year.

Maxwell had played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) last year and he had a dismal run, scoring just above 100 runs. During his stint, the right-handed batsman did not manage to hit a single six for the side.

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But in the IPL 2021 opener, the batsman managed to change his fortunes as he played a knock of 39 runs, including two sixes. RCB defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling encounter on Friday here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

“It certainly felt good. I did not hit a single six last year, I did remind Virat of me not hitting a six last year. To hit one out of the middle, it is a bit of monkey of the back. It is nice to start well and to have the captain at the other end, it makes my job a little easier,” Maxwell told Harshal Patel in a video posted on the official website of IPL.

Harshal Patel delivered a stunning bowling performance before AB de Villiers’ masterclass as RCB defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets. Harshal had picked five wickets (three in the final over) to restrict Mumbai Indians to 159 runs in the allotted 20 overs and as a result, he became the first bowler a take a fifer against Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

In response, RCB got over the line on the last ball, courtesy of some fine hitting by De Villiers in the death overs. For RCB, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers played knocks of 39 and 48 respectively. Skipper Virat Kohli also played a 33-run knock of 29 balls.

“Obviously, it felt great. It was my first fifer ever in T20s, that felt special and this coming against such a good batting lineup, it was cherry on top. The ball started tailing a bit so I wanted to hit them on the toes and if they miss, it will hit the stumps and I knew if they are waiting for the yorkers, my slower balls can be really deceptive. So, I was just trying to mix it up and get as many wickets as I can,” Harshal told Maxwell.

“I told AB de Villiers when I got there that I am there with you and we are going to win this game. Obviously, whenever you hit the winning runs, it does not matter whether it is a boundary or a single, it is a special feeling. Great day on the field,” he added.