“I was deleted from WhatsApp group” – Glenn Maxwell reveals how he lost respect for Virender Sehwag after IPL 2017 with PBKS

In his new book entitled “Glenn Maxwell The Showman“Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell shed light on his complicated experience with swashbuckling Indian opener Virender Sehwag during his stint with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the 2017 IPL season.

Maxwell, who had a good start in the team in 2014 and even led the team in 2017, saw a breakdown in his relationship with Sehwag, the team's mentor.

Despite hopes of a successful season, infighting and Sehwag's unpredictable decisions affected team morale and Maxwell's perception of the franchise.

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Maxwell and Sehwag first teamed up during the 2014 IPL season when Punjab made it to the final. Maxwell scored 552 runs and received the Player of the Tournament award. Sehwag played a crucial knock and scored a memorable 122 in the qualifier.

However, the team failed in the final and narrowly lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders. Maxwell was hopeful about the future and believed the team would be built around him, but the following seasons did not go as planned.

How did Glenn Maxwell lose respect for Virender Sehwag?

In 2017, Maxwell was named captain but quickly realized his authority was limited. Sehwag, who had taken on a mentorship role, still had significant influence and often overruled team decisions.

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Maxwell said that despite his efforts to involve coaches in the decision-making process through a WhatsApp group, Sehwag made it clear that he alone would decide the playing XI.

This lack of cooperation led to confusion, particularly with sudden player changes such as the last-minute selection of Ishant Sharma and Eoin Morgan.

“When it came to selection, I thought it might be a good idea to get the coaches on a WhatsApp group so they can make our decisions. Everyone agreed and divided their teams except Sehwag. At the end of the process he made it clear that he would choose the starting XI, end of story. Meanwhile, we have lost on and off the field, with Sehwag making decisions that didn't necessarily make sense on more than one occasion. “In private, however, coaches and players came to me asking what the hell was going on and I found it difficult to give them a clear answer,” Maxwell wrote.

Punjab's season ended disappointingly after a poor performance against Pune, ending their playoff hopes. Maxwell, who had been trying to maintain stability within the team, came under unexpected criticism from Sehwag.

Has Glenn Maxwell been deleted from the team WhatsApp group?

After Sehwag addressed the media after the game, Maxwell was removed from the team's WhatsApp group. He then came to know about the public comments Sehwag had made about him during the press conference in which he had described Maxwell as a “big disappointment” and how he had criticized his captaincy.

“When I got on the team bus, I realized that I had been deleted from the main WhatsApp group. What was going on here? When we reached the hotel, my phone exploded and Sehwag accused me of being a “big disappointment”, blaming me for not taking responsibility as captain and so on. It was awkward, especially when I thought we had parted ways on good terms,” he added.

Maxwell was hurt by the comments and expressed his disappointment to Sehwag, who replied curtly: “I don't need a fan like you.” The fallout marked the end of Maxwell's time in the franchise.

“I texted him to say how much it hurt to read those comments and added that he had lost a fan in me because of his behavior. Sehwag's response was simple: “I don't need a fan like you.” We never spoke again. I knew my time was over and I told the owners too: if Sehwag stayed here, they would have made a mistake and not taken care of me,” he concluded.

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What happened next to Glenn Maxwell?

After the tumultuous 2017 season, Maxwell moved on to other IPL teams, including a return to Punjab in 2020, despite struggling to find his form. His career took a positive turn when he moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021, linking up with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

This change allowed him to re-establish himself and play some of the best cricket of his career, giving new impetus to his career in the IPL.