Pune, Apr 9 (IANS): Swashbuckling Royal Challengers Bangalore all-rounder Glenn Maxwell feels that having great backing from players and support staff apart from fixed role clarity helped him do well in IPL 2021.
Before the start of the tournament last year, Maxwell was picked by Bangalore in the auction and justified the deal by scoring 513 runs in 15 matches at an average of 42.75 and strike-rate of 144.10.
"I think just the calmness in the dressing room. Having other guys around me, I felt I had a clearer role, didn't really change from game to game. To go out there and play the same role pretty much every time was really nice. There was an amazing belief in the change room. I felt I had great backing from players and staff alike. So, it was a really nice change," said Maxwell in a pre-match chat with broadcasters Star Sports.
With Saturday's match against Mumbai Indians, Maxwell will be marking his first appearance in IPL 2022 after missing initial matches due to his wedding to Indian-origin pharmacist Vini Raman. He felt that his marriage gave him time to prepare well for the tournament.
"Not really (on marriage affecting preparation). It's actually helped me a little bit. Having a week or so to prepare before the start of the tournament. Otherwise, it would have been a little bit rushed had I come straight from the domestic summer. So, I haven't played for a month but spent a bit of time in the nets, preparing with some drills to get started and had a nice bit of lead-in to the game as well."
Bangalore have four points from three matches and are looking to add two more against Mumbai. Maxwell signed off by hoping Bangalore continue their winning ways, especially with a ten-team league meaning the competition gets tougher.
"It's a bit different with ten teams now. The margin of error is a lot less. For us, we have started really well with two wins in three games. Every team is feeling their sort of way in the competition. To look for us on the positive side, it is a nice way to start the tournament. To carry on with that winning momentum is going to be the key for any team going forward. We are certainly hoping that we can do that from here now on."