The Struggle of High-Bid Australians in the IPL 2024

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are ninth on the table after a heavy defeat to Mumbai, while their star Australian allrounders had a rough day.

Australia is known to produce the greatest of cricketers, and when it comes to important times, these players never fail to deliver. The Indian Premier League is a marquee event that showcases the talents of the cricketing experts, be it capped, uncapped, experienced, or debuting players. 

The Failing Story of the Australians in the IPL 2024

But the Australian luck factor has not quite worked for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2024. The franchise signed two of the top names in the Australian cricket team – Glenn Maxwell. While the hard-hitting Australian middle-order batsman/all-rounder Maxwell has been a part of RCB since 2021, the Australian all-rounder Green joined the team ahead of this year’s mega event.

But both the Australians have had an IPL season to forget as of now.

The big-money signing Green has been dropped to the bench and Glenn Maxwell had a day to forget as Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered a humbling defeat to Mumbai Indians.

Three-million dollar man Green, who’s not really hit his straps with either bat or ball since his move from Mumbai Indians to RCB, endured the indignity of being axed for the big match against his old team on Thursday.

Then he had to watch his national teammate Maxwell continue his own lean spell with bat, ball, and in the field, as RCB crashed to a humbling seven-wicket defeat that left them ninth of the 10 teams in the IPL table. 

Maxwell is considered almost undroppable by RCB for his ability to conjure up match-winning knocks alongside his spinning wiles, but on Thursday he suffered his third duck of the season, got smacked for 17 off his one over, and spilled a key catch.  

Maxwell has now scored just 32 in his six innings for RCB this season after innings of 0, 3, 28, 0, 1, and 0. 

This time, pushed down the order to No.5, he was given out plumb lbw, hitting across the line as Shreyas Gopal’s wrong ‘un trapped him all ends up. He didn’t review.

Still, RCB, who also lost mainstay Virat Kohli for just three at the top of the order, were able to fashion a considerable total of 8-196, thanks largely to captain Faf du Plessis’s 61, a 26-ball half-century from Rajat Patidar and a dazzling 23-ball unbeaten 53 from veteran keeper Dinesh Karthik.

The total would have been even more if not for the enduring excellence of Jasprit Bumrah, who was a class apart in Mumbai’s attack, taking a five-for while conceding just 21 runs off his four overs.

Mumbai, though, made it look easy meat, once captain Ishan Kishan, led the way with a thunderous 69 off 34 balls, and Rohit Sharma (38) put on a century opening stand.

Maxwell didn’t find a hint of spin as Ishan smacked him for a six and two boundaries in his one over, and he was quickly taken out of the firing line.

Then to compound his day, with RCB’s only faint hope being to get rid of the deadly impact sub Suryakumar Yadav swiftly amid the cascade of runs, Maxwell, fielding at point, looked a picture of misery as he failed to hold on to a fierce cut.

It wasn’t an easy chance but one that Maxwell would normally have expected to pocket. Instead, he had to go off straight after the drop for treatment with his hand still stinging.

Suryakumar (52) went on to make a blistering half-century off just 17 balls to power Mumbai to a one-sided victory with 29 balls to spare.

Aussie ‘finisher’ Tim David wasn’t even needed for the Indians, even though he had earlier made a notable contribution when he took two catches, including one excellent diving effort in the deep at long on to get rid of du Plessis.