Maxwell's comeback as Livingstone's replacement could do wonders for RCB; here's how – OneCricket

OneCricket
Glenn Maxwell and Liam Livingstone have contrasting returns for RCB [Source: AFP]
Glenn Maxwell, the renowned Australian allrounder, finds his IPL career in jeopardy as we inch closer to the retention deadline, which will be followed by the mini auction. Maxwell was purchased by Punjab Kings at a price of INR 4.2 Crores. However, the move backfired on the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit, with Maxwell managing just 48 runs at a miserable average of eight and a strike rate of 97.96. 
Eventually, the Australian talisman got injured, with PBKS roping in Mitchell Owen as his replacement. So, considering Maxwell is 37 and failed to live up to the expectations, the Punjab Kings will likely release him to the IPL mini auction pool. 
Now, if Maxwell is released, Royal Challengers Bengaluru should be one of the teams to raise the paddle for him in the auction due to several reasons. 
(Glenn Maxwell has been a better player for RCB than other teams)
After releasing Maxwell following one bad season, RCB used Liam Livingstone in a similar role in IPL 2025. However, the Englishman failed to deliver, managing just 112 runs at an average of 16 and a strike rate of 133.33. So, considering he was purchased at a whopping price of INR 8.75 Crores, the Royal Challengers might release him and free-up the amount before the next auction. 
(Maxwell vs Livingstone in middle overs in IPL)
If Livingstone gets axed, RCB could bring Maxwell back to fill his void in the middle order. As evidenced by the above stats, Maxwell has been a much better performer than Livingstone in the middle overs in IPL. 
Additionally, his value is expected to drop further following his failure to deliver the goods for PBKS. Thus, the IPL 2026 auction could be RCB’s best chance to pick Livingstone’s upgrade at a lower price and further strengthen their spin-hitting, with Rajat Patidar, Tim David and Romario Shepherd already boosting the finishing department. 

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