Shreyas Iyer, Ricky Ponting asked to drop Glenn Maxwell

The 31st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and the mega clash between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have kicked off, and Punjab has opted to bat first at the Mullanpur stadium. Well, ahead of the match, Glenn Maxwell has turned out to be one of the major concerns for the PBKS team today, and that is all because of his form this season.

PBKS are already in their impressive run in IPL 2025, but the Australian all-rounder looked a pale shadow of himself with scores of 0, 30, 1 and 3 so far. Although Punjab Kings have won three out of the five games they played in the season so far, Glenn Maxwell couldn't shine much.

It seems Maxwell’s form with the bat has given headaches to captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ricky Ponting. This is the reason that ahead of the crucial match against KKR, the former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull urged the PBKS to drop the batsman.

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What did Simon Doull say about Glenn Maxwell?

According to Cricbuzz, New Zealand commentator Simon Doull thinks that it is high time that the Punjab Kings should trust Azmatullah Omarzai or Josh Inglis and drop Maxwell.

He said, throughout his career, he has mentioned that Maxwell has had just one or two seasons where he has lived up to the billing in the IPL. He continued, “I think Maxwell has had his run. I mean, just the way he's getting out at the moment, it would frustrate me as a coach.”

“That's the disappointing thing, I think, from their point of view. So Omarzai's in for him, Inglis in for him, would be something I'd probably look at.”

"So he is now out, which I'm not sure for how long, so that leaves a bit of a hole in their genuine pace bowling options," he added.

Lockie Ferguson will be a huge blow for PBKS

Doull went on to say that missing Lockie Ferguson will be a huge loss for Punjab Kings. The New Zealand player suffered an injury against Sunrisers Hyderabad and is all but ruled out of IPL 2025.

“I think Maxwell has had his run. I mean, just the way he's getting out at the moment, it would frustrate me as a coach,” Doull was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz. “That's the disappointing thing, I think, from their point of view. So (Abdullah) Omarzai's in for him, (Josh) Inglis in for him, would be something I'd probably look at,” he added.