Glenn Maxwell Sets Unwanted IPL Record with Ninth Golden Duck

 

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) hopes of lifting the IPL trophy were dealt a massive blow by Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.  In their crucial eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Maxwell fell for a golden duck, adding to his team’s woes.

This dismissal wasn’t just another out for Maxwell; it cemented his disbelieving record in the IPL.  He became the second-worst batter in terms of golden ducks (dismissal for 0 runs on the first ball) in IPL history, with a staggering 9 golden ducks.  Only Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan holds a worse record with 11 golden ducks.

 

Maxwell’s golden duck came at a particularly bad time for RCB.  Walking in to bat at 97/3 in the 13th over, the stage was set for him to play a big innings.  However, his attempt at a big shot off the very first ball from wily spinner Ravichandran Ashwin backfired.  Maxwell misjudged a carrom ball from Ashwin and ended up skyrocketing it to Dhruv Jurel at long-on, departing for a golden duck.

 

Most Golden Ducks in IPL

11 – Rashid

09 – Maxwell*

08 – Narine

07 – Harbhajan

07 – Virat Kohli

 

This dismissal added insult to injury for Maxwell, who has had a forgettable IPL season.  He took a break mid-season for mental fatigue and was subsequently dropped due to poor form.  In his 10 matches, he could only manage a meager 52 runs at an average of 5.77, a far cry from his usual explosive batting style.

This golden duck also tied Maxwell with teammate Dinesh Karthik for the joint-most ducks (18) in IPL history.  While some of the best batsmen in the league, including Rohit Sharma (17 ducks) and Piyush Chawla (16 ducks), feature on this unwanted list, Maxwell’s struggles have been particularly concerning.

 

Despite a valiant effort from other RCB batsmen like Mahipal Lomror (32 runs), Virat Kohli (33 runs), and Rajat Patidar (34 runs), the team could only manage a total of 172/8.  Ashwin and Avesh Khan’s brilliant bowling spells for RR restricted RCB and put them in a strong position to win the match.