Royal Challengers Bengaluru continue to prove meme fodder to fans on social media. Up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Monday, RCB conceded the most runs any team has ever had in the history of the league, with Travis Head leading his side's charge to 287/3. In reply, RCB could only post 262/7, losing the match by 25 runs. For the match, the franchise made some bold decisions by benching the Australian duo of Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, two of the most expensive players in the league. (IPL 2024 Points Table)
Seeing the likes of Maxwell, Green on the bench alongside other expensive stars like Alzarri Joseph and Mohammed Siraj, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Abhinav Mukund couldn't resist the opportunity to mock the Bengaluru franchise.
"17.5+11.5+11+7 crore on the bench for RCB," Mukund wrote on X (formerly Twitter), referring to Green, , Joseph, Maxwell and Siraj.
While other stars were benched by the management, Maxwell himself decided to withdraw from the team, citing mental and physical fatigue.
"It was a pretty easy decision. I went to Faf and the coaches after the last game (vs Mumbai Indians) and said it was probably time we tried someone else (in his place). It's actually a good time to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right," Maxwell said in the post-match press meet.
"If I'm required to get in during the tournament, I can, hopefully, get back into a solid mental and physical space where I can make an impact," Maxwell said in the post-match press conference.
Maxwell hasn't been able to live up to his reputation in the six matches he has played so far this season, making just 32 runs at an average of 5.33 and an underwhelming strike-rate of 94.
Of the 32 runs he has scored, Maxwell registered 28 runs in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders alone.