Glenn Maxwell endured a torrid IPL with the Kings XI Punjab, managing just 108 runs across 11 innings with a highest score of 32. He seemed to struggle for fluency right through the season, and ended it without a single six.
Just before the IPL, Maxwell had cracked 186 runs in three ODIs against England, including a match-winning, series-clinching innings of 108 in the third ODI at Old Trafford. Maxwell is confident of getting back into that sort of form ahead of Australia's limited-overs series against India starting next week.
"Yeah, I'm sure we'll be fine. I was just hitting the ball fine, but wasn't getting much of a crack," Maxwell said during a media interaction. "And [I'm] just looking at the bigger picture and understanding my role within the Australian side; trying to put the IPL aside and think about… what I need to do to get ready for every game. And [I] just know that I'm doing the right things and that when the time comes, when I need it, I can still perform really well."
Maxwell reckoned his lean run in the IPL was largely down to the situations he batted in.
"It didn't have anything to do with the pitches at all," he said. "I suppose it was more to do with the amount of time I had left in the game most of the times. I was either rebuilding or trying to go from ball one with only a couple of balls left. If you don't hit it, you're in a bit of trouble. I don't take too much out of it. I'm still training as hard as ever and still working on the right things. But I came from arguably one of the best innings I've played in my career [at Old Trafford] to not being able to clear the ropes. I don't take too much out of that."
Two days after the third T2OI against India on December 8, the BBL is scheduled to begin. Maxwell, who will captain the Melbourne Stars, is excited by the new rules that will be in place during the tournament.
"It's going to be different that's for sure," Maxwell said. "It's going to be hard work for captains to implement them as well as they can to get an advantage on the rest of the competition and that presents a good challenge for teams to have good squad depth to be able to use their 12th and 13th players. I think it's exciting.
"It's a different way of playing the game. It's not going to be the traditional T20. For me personally, I find it exciting to show the tactical side of the game and it's a good opportunity for teams to show their technical nous and find ways to get ahead of the game."
ALSO READ: Darren Lehmann backs BBL's X-Factor over previous one-day Supersub
The new rules have come in for criticism from former players including Shane Watson, who termed it a "misguided attempt to re-invigorate the tournament". But as captain, Maxwell looks forward to using the Power Surge - where the traditional six-over Powerplay will be scrapped and replaced by a mandatory four-over block at the start of the innings and two overs to be chosen by the batting team after the 10th over.
"I will just wait for the time," Maxwell said. "A guy like Nic Pooran who I'll probably try and use in that space a lot. He's an extremely powerful hitter and I'm looking forward to seeing him in the Big Bash."
The first game of the 2020-21 BBL will be played between the Hobart Hurricanes and the Sydney Sixers on December 10, with Maxwell's Stars to open their campaign a day later against the Brisbane Heat.