Glenn Maxwell finally delivered when it mattered. Representing Hyderabad Kingsmen in the Pakistan Super League on Sunday, the batting all-rounder struck a 37-ball 70 to propel his side into the play-offs, a turnaround made all the more striking by how badly they started.
Quick facts
- Maxwell made 70 off 37 balls for Hyderabad Kingsmen in the PSL on Sunday.
- The innings helped the team qualify for the play-offs.
- Hyderabad Kingsmen had lost their opening four matches but won five of their last six.
- It was Maxwell’s sixth game of the season.
- In four innings before Sunday, his scores were 2, 0, 2, and 1.
- Earlier in the campaign, he made 21 not out from 9 balls in a match-winning effort.
- Maxwell spoke after the match about bouncing back after failures.
- Melbourne Stars coach Peter Moors had previously said he wasn’t ready to give up on Maxwell despite poor recent form.
- Moors referenced Maxwell’s impact and passion, and noted the BBL discussion included the 2026 season where Maxwell scored 76 runs in 11 games.
His breakthrough arrived against a backdrop of pressure. Maxwell’s campaign had begun with four low scores—2, 0, 2 and 1—after which his reliability was being questioned. Even so, there was a reminder of what he can do: in one earlier match, he produced 21 not out off just 9 balls in a winning effort.
With Sunday’s innings, the conversation shifted from whether he would be kept in the spotlight to how he might now change the momentum. Maxwell also faced ongoing scrutiny in franchise and international cricket, with people wondering how long he might continue to be “stuck with” at his Big Bash League outfit, the Melbourne Stars.
After the game, Maxwell addressed the reality of T20 slumps and the need to respond. “I’ve gone through lots of rough trots in my whole career. You’re not always going to have success; it’s not always going to be smooth sailing. You’ve got to take so many risks, so you’re going to fail at different times; it’s how you bounce back from that failure which determines what sort of character you have,” he said.
He also credited the environment around him for staying ready for a turnaround. “I’ve been extremely lucky to come over to a really good side,” Maxwell added. “They probably didn’t get the results they deserved in the first four games, but the groundwork that [coach] Jason Gillespie and [captain] Marnus Labuschagne had set for the group was destined to come off at some stage.”
Moors backs Maxi ahead of PSL turnaround
Maxwell’s innings was a relief for Melbourne Stars coach Peter Moors, who had insisted earlier that he would not abandon the player despite a run of poor form in recent months. Moors pointed to Maxwell’s attitude and influence as the bigger story than one short stretch of results.
“What I love about the whole way ‘Maxi’ plays his cricket is his passion for the game. Maxi has epitomised the Stars, and the thought of winning it without him in the team would be a real shame, because he’s put so much into it. He’s box office to watch,” Moors said earlier.
He also acknowledged that the 2026 BBL season hadn’t been Maxwell’s best, noting that he scored 76 runs in 11 matches. “It wasn’t his tournament this year [talking about the 2026 BBL in which Maxwell scored 76 runs in 11 games], but that happens a bit in T20,” Moors added in February.
Still, just as the PSL match approached, Maxwell’s words were being circulated widely. Cricket Australia used his comments in a story on Sunday, hours before Kingsmen’s game, suggesting the timing was meant to reassure their star that he had nothing to fear despite the earlier struggles.
