‘It might be dangerous news for opposition teams’ – Glenn Maxwell on Virat Kohli playing without captaincy burden in IPL 2022

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) cricketer Glenn Maxwell said that Virat Kohli is likely to play with a freer mind in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Before the second leg of IPL 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kohli put forth his decision of relinquishing the team’s captaincy. Back in 2014, the now 33-year-old took over from New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori as the skipper of the side.

In 2016, he led RCB to the final where they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. In the same season, the Delhi-born Kohli nearly scored 1000 runs with four centuries to his name.

He also had to face a lot of criticism over the time for not being able to fetch a trophy for the Challengers during his captaincy stint. Maxwell reckoned that the burden of captaincy was weighing Kohli down due to which latter wasn’t able to express himself.

Glenn Maxwell speaks on Virat Kohli ahead of IPL 2022

“He knows he’s handing the captaincy over, which I think is potentially a big burden for him. It might have been something that’s been weighing him down for a while and now that he’s been able to release it, it might be dangerous news for opposition teams,” Maxwell was quoted as saying.

Kohli has been plying his trade for the Challengers ever since the inaugural edition back in 2008. He was drafted in after he led India to glory in the 2008 U19 World Cup in Malaysia. Since then, he has been a crucial member of the team.

Kohli is also the all-time leading run-scorer in the history of the IPL after not missing a single season. Maxwell, on the other hand, joined RCB in 2021 after a poor 2020 season for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL. But he found his rhythm back while playing for the Challengers.

Prior to the mega auction, RCB retained him along with Kohli and young fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. In the meantime, after Kohli’s resignation, the Challengers named Faf du Plessis as skipper of the upcoming season. They bagged du Plessis in the auction at INR 7 crores.