Glenn Maxwell takes mental health break: Kohli to Stokes - 5 star cricketers who prioritised themselves before cricket

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Glenn Maxwell, who has scored 32 runs in six innings at an average of 5.33 in IPL 2024, opted to take a mental and physical break ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday.

This is not the first that the star Australia all-rounder has taken a break from cricket to prioritise himself. He announced an indefinite break from cricket in July 2020 in the middle of a T20I series in July 2020.

"was pretty cooked when I decided to take the time off. Big reason why I did take that time away is I was pretty mentally and physically ruined," Maxwell said when he made a return in December that year.

Cricketers prioritising their mental health wasn't very common in cricket. But players have started to come out bravely and talk openly about it. Maxwell also seems to have learned from his past experience, and taken an early decision this time.

"I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right. If I'm required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact," Maxwell said after RCB's defeat against SRH.

A look at five cricketers who took break from cricket for mental health reasons

Glenn Maxwell: The Australian all-rounder took a mental health break in July 2020 during a T20I series against Sri Lanka. He came back fresh to participate in the Big Bash League that year. The 35-year-old once again took a mini-break in the IPL 2024, and in the lead up to the T20 World Cup 2024.

Virat Kohli: The former India captain went through a lean patch for almost three years. He got starts during the period but failed to hit a single hundred during the period. The star batter took a one-month break ahead of the Asia Cup 2022. He returned back to his peak once again after the break and hit his much-awaited 71st international hundred right after the return.

Jonathan Trott: The former England start withdrew from the Ashes 2013 after playing just one Test. Due to extreme stress and anxiety, Trott stopped playing cricket for more than a year. The right-hander made a comeback in 2015 but could not continue due to the same anxiety issue and quit international cricket the same year.

Ben Stokes: The current England Test team captain took an indefinite mental break in July 2021, and made a successful return after six months. Stokes revealed about going through several panic attacks before deciding to step away from the game.

Marcus Trescothick: The former England opener felt the need to return home during England 2006 tour of India. He revealed he was battling depression when he announced his retirement later that year.