Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell has expressed his commitment to entertaining crowds in the Indian Premier League (IPL) until he "can't walk anymore", hitting retirement talks out of the park.
With the T20 World Cup slated to take place just after the IPL 2024 edition, the 35-year-old all-rounder is ready to make the most of the franchise cricket tournament to prepare himself for the marquee ICC event.
He has been an asset to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as he has scored 513, 301 and 400 in 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively with an incredible strike rate that justifies the INR 14.25 cr price tag.
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What did Glenn Maxwell say about his IPL future?
"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 on Wednesday.
"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," Maxwell said.
"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."
Apart from Maxwell, there are several Australians who have registered for the mini-auction on December 19 - Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Josh Inglis and Steve Smith. He suggested that it would be good for the national team if more Australian players could gain IPL experience ahead of the T20 World Cup in June, preparing for conditions similar to those in the West Indies.
"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.
Australia's white-ball team, riding high after a stunning ODI World Cup victory over India, now has the opportunity to achieve a rare feat by holding both the 20-over and 50-over crowns simultaneously.
"As soon as we won this World Cup, we all talked about the refocus towards the next one," Maxwell said. "I'm hoping it's going be a really exciting summer for the BBL, with what is just around the corner.
"Hopefully a little bit more importance on putting your name up in the headlines for the right reasons and trying to push for those spots."
What next for Glenn Maxwell?
Maxwell will play in Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) commencing on Thursday as the skipper of Melbourne Stars.
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