MELBOURNE: Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell says the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been so good to him that he will play in the lucrative T20 competition until he “can’t walk anymore”.

The IPL has been the perfect platform to showcase Maxwell’s explosive batting and the 35-year-old is one of four foreign recruits Royal Challengers Bangalore have retained for next season.

After making his debut in the competition with Delhi Daredevils in 2012, Maxwell commanded the top price at the players auction the following year with Mumbai Indians shelling out $1 million for his services.

After a three-year stint in Punjab he returned to Delhi for one more season before making the switch to Bangalore, where his destructive batting has made him a fan favourite.

Playing in India obviously suits Maxwell — he smashed his only Test hundred there in 2017 and helped Australia win the 50-overs World Cup title last month.

“The IPL will probably be the last tournament I ever play, as I will play the IPL until I can’t walk anymore,” Maxwell told reporters 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 …

“You’re rubbing shoulders with AB (de Villiers) and Virat (Kohli) for two months, talking to them while watching other games,” he said referring to the stalwarts he shared the Bangalore dressing room with.

“It’s just the greatest learning experience that any player could ask for.”

Australia will hope for a telling contribution from Maxwell in the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the US next year and the Victorian said playing in the IPL before the showpiece event could prove invaluable.

“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,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell will lead Melbourne Stars in Thursday’s Big Bash League opener against Brisbane at the Gabba.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2023