Glenn Maxwell : Steve Smith is due for a failure

Last season Kings XI changed their skipper midway through the campaign and this time again, they’ve appointed a new captain in Maxwell. “This time we have worked really hard. The core group of players is the same. Last season we lost the close matches and we need to turn it around this time,”  Maxwell was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times website ahead of their opening game against Supergiant.

On Smith's stunning form, Maxwell gave a cheeky reply, "He is due for a failure, isn’t he? He has been doing great and the RPS have started on a strong note. But we should focus on our strength and we are confident that our game plan will work.”

Maxwell was also confident that the constant shuffling of captains in the Punjab side will not affect the team. “Though I am the captain, everybody has a leadership role. We have retained players for a long time and it has built camaraderie among us. Young players like Manan Vohra, Sandeep Sharma, Anureet Singh are a lot more confident in expressing their ideas. It will benefit us.”

Maxwell was a part of a feisty Australian squad that contested a temperamental Test series against India recently. “We have to keep the past behind. That was a different tournament. We have players like Ishant Sharma and I respect him as a cricketer. We have got Wriddhiman Saha, who is an important asset for us. We need to forget what happened and look forward to a new beginning in IPL. We didn’t do well last year but this time our focus is on changing that.”