Stress-free Kohli might be dangerous news for opposition: Maxwell

For the longest time, Royal Challengers Bangalore as a franchise have been synonymous with the leadership abilities of Virat Kohli. While the franchise has reached the final in 2016, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the result in the final was a bitter pill to swallow. Last year, Kohli announced the decision to step down from captaincy. 

While the move sent a shockwave, Kohli emphasized that it was the right call. Glenn Maxwell, who was an integral part of the franchise’s setup in 2021, insisted that a stress-free Kohli would prove to be a dangerous commodity for the opposition. 

"He knows he's handing the captaincy over, which I think is potentially a big burden for him. It might have been something that's been weighing him down for a while and now that he's been able to release it, it might be dangerous news for opposition teams," Maxwell told RCB Podcast.

The Australian all-rounder also stressed that it is “amazing” for Kohli to play in a relaxed fashion for the next few years of his career, having shouldered the responsibility of captaincy for a long time. 

"It is amazing for him to be relaxed a bit and actually enjoy the next few years of his career without any of that sort of external pressure. I think playing against him in earlier days, he was a fiery competitor, getting in your face. He's always trying to impose himself on the game. Impose himself on the opposition," he added.

Maxwell also opened up on Kohli’s methods as a captain, revealing that the RCB skipper was more measured with his emotions and his decision-making. 

"Something I've noticed more from him this year is he's been really measured with his emotions. He's actually been really measured with his decision-making. He's certainly really surprised me and probably how close we've both gotten to each other as well this year. Being able to talk about the game in a calm manner," Maxwell said.

"Because you do see that over-excited, in your face style when you play against him. But to play with him and have really good conversations about the game, I've really enjoyed that."

Earlier this year, the franchise announced that the 37-year-old South African Faf du Plessis would take over the leadership, having previously been part of several IPL-winning campaigns for rivals, Chennai Super Kings.