Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has always been a big deal at IPL auctions, drawing big bids every year.  But even though he charges a lot, his shows often cause arguments.  This season is no different, and Maxwell's slow start has led former Indian player and pundit Sanjay Manjrekar to make a funny but biting comparison: he said Maxwell is like Halley's Comet, which only comes around once every 75 years.

Speaking during commentary, Manjrekar said, “Halley's Comet orbits the sun and is visible from Earth once every 75 years. Just like that, Glenn Maxwell plays one good match in 75 games. It was last seen in 1986, and it will now be spotted in 2061. It's the same case with Maxwell in batting. Glenn Maxwell is Halley’s Comet of Cricket,"

Even though it's funny, the comparison shows how fans and experts are getting more and more annoyed with Maxwell's inconsistent play, especially in the IPL where standards are very high.

Maxwell has had a slow start to IPL 2025. He is now playing for Punjab Kings.  He has played in two innings over the course of three games and scored only 30 runs.  He got out for a duck in the first game, giving him his 19th "Golden Duck" in 131 IPL attempts, which was another bad result.  His overall IPL numbers are still good—2801 runs at an average of 24.57 and a scorching strike rate of 156.49—but his unpredictability has often made the promise less clear.

His off-form in the IPL 2024 season caused Royal Challengers Bangalore to let him go.  Punjab Kings picked him up for INR 4.8 crore in the auction, hoping for a turnaround.  But the payoff has been pretty small so far.

Maxwell finally got into a groove with the bat on Saturday, when he hit 30 runs in 21 balls against Rajasthan Royals.  He and Nehal Wadhera (who hit a fighting fifty) were the only real spark as they tried to reach a tough goal of 206.  Punjab fell short by 50 runs, though, as the rest of their batting order failed to click. They were out at 155 runs after 20 overs.

This was Punjab Kings' first loss of the season. They are now in fourth place in the IPL points table.  Rajasthan is currently in seventh place, having won two of its four games.