Glenn Maxwell became one of the household names in India in 2014 when he had a breakout season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). There was one tournament through which not just the Indian players but the overseas too utilised it to the fullest, whether for money or to get into national reckoning for their respective countries or any other reason and the likes of Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine, David Warner, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle had an equal number of people cheering for them as the Indians, if not more.
That's the craze of the IPL, it has diminished the boundaries and has helped cricket become a global sport, followed by millions where international opponents have become friends and there is a camaraderie that can't be explained in words.
Maxwell, who moved around from Mumbai Indians then to Punjab and then to Delhi and back to Punjab has now found a home in Royal Challengers Bangalore, for whom he will be playing for the fourth year in 2024 and has no shame in admitting that IPL might be the last tournament he plays in his career and won't be leaving it anytime soon.
Speaking to reports at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday, December 6 as he prepares for Big Bash League 2023-24, "The IPL will probably be the last tournament I ever play, as I will play the IPL until I can't walk anymore," Maxwell said at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday.
Maxwell further elaborated on his points saying that he meant that IPL has been tremendous to him in terms of players he has met, the coaches he has worked with and would want more young Australian players to come and play the IPL and take the experience from it.
"I was talking about how good the IPL has been to me throughout my career; the people I've met, the coaches I have played under, the international players that you get to rub shoulders with, how beneficial to my whole career that tournament has been.
"You're rubbing shoulders with AB [de Villiers] and Virat [Kohli] for two months, talking to them while watching other games. It's just the greatest learning experience that any player could ask for.
"Hopefully a lot of our Australian players can get over to the IPL and get to work in slightly similar conditions to the West Indies, where it is a little bit drier, it will spin," he added.
Maxwell felt secure and became consistent and a force to reckon with in the IPL in the last three years having scored over 1200 runs for RCB and is likely to stay there for the longest, for the time being.
