Australia allrounder Glenn Maxwell has stated that he will play in the IPL until he ‘can’t walk anymore,’ which will surely be music to the ears of Royal Challengers Bangalore fans.

“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 (December 6).

Maxwell has been a part of the IPL for almost a decade, beginning with the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in 2012. In 2013, he became the first million-dollar player after the Mumbai Indians obtained him in an auction for that sum.

His breakout season, however, came in 2014, when he played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and scored 552 runs at a strike rate of 187.75. By his lofty standards, he only had one successful season in the next five years before signing RCB after the 2021 auction.

Maxwell has returned RCB’s faith (and INR 14.25 Crore) in him with season totals of 513, 301, and 400 in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with strike rates improving each year. He scored 183.49 points last season, his highest since that fantastic 2014 season.

“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.”

With the IPL due to begin immediately before next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States, Maxwell hopes that more Australian players will participate to prepare for the showcase event. Seven players of Australia’s 50-over World Cup-winning squad – Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Josh Inglis, and Steve Smith – will go under the hammer on December 19 with a maximum base price of INR 2 Crore.

“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, who will captain the Melbourne Stars in the BBL opener on Thursday, believes Australia has already shifted their emphasis to the next major prize, the T20 World Cup crown.

“As soon as we won this World Cup, we all talked about refocusing towards the next one. I’m hoping it’s going be a really exciting summer for the BBL, with what is just around the corner,” he said.