Maxi captaincy 'surprising but exciting'

Glenn Maxwell's dream month of cricket has continued with the Australian boasting an unbeaten record in the early stages of his first major captaincy role.

Four weeks after he notched his maiden Test century, a breakthrough 104 against India in Ranchi, Maxwell has helped his Kings XI Punjab open their Indian Premier League campaign with consecutive wins.

The right-hander has posted scores of 44no and 43no at a strike rate of better than 200 in two successful run chases and says he's thrived on the extra responsibility of being his side's skipper.

Quick single: ABdV fires but Maxi's Kings cruise

And former Australia captain and IPL-winning coach Ricky Ponting says the elevation to a leadership role could be the beginning of something special for the enigmatic allrounder.

"I was a little bit surprised (they made him captain) but I'm actually really excited for him to get that opportunity," Ponting told cricket.com.au last week.

"I actually think it'll bring the best out of him. His last couple of years of IPL cricket haven't been as good as the years prior, but to get that bit more of responsibility could be just what he needs.

"We've just seen him have a breakthrough Test innings a couple of weeks ago, which I think delighted all of Australia. Everyone has been waiting for that breakout performance and there it was.

"This could just be the start. It could be the beginning of a very, very good back half of Glenn Maxwell's life. So I wish him all the best."

Despite having no captaincy experience at senior level, Maxwell was surprisingly handed the role for IPL10, chosen ahead of Indian opener Murali Vijay, South African pair Hashim Amla and David Miller as well as England's T20 skipper Eoin Morgan.

It's the first time Maxwell has captained a side since he led his Melbourne club Fitzroy-Doncaster more than three years ago, while he also skippered Victoria's Future's League team earlier in his career.

Quick single: Rohit reprimanded for IPL breach

But despite his inexperience, Ponting says Maxwell's biggest captaincy challenges will come off the field rather than on it.

"The moments I've spent with him and you talk about the game with him, I think he understands the game particularly well," Ponting says.

"And the good thing is he's got a few Aussie boys (Kings XI teammates Marcus Stoinis and Shaun Marsh) around him as well that'll make that job a little bit easier. He's familiar with the coaches and the owners as well, which is really important in the IPL.

"They're the kind of things you have to manage as a captain or a coach of an IPL team. There's so many external things to manage.

"And that's probably going to be the most difficult thing for Maxi; the on field stuff will be fine, the other pressures that come with it will be a bigger challenge."

After falling just short in the final of the 2014 IPL, a tournament in which Maxwell was named player of the series, Kings XI stumbled to finish dead last in both 2015 and 2016.

It triggered significant upheaval in the playing ranks, with Maxwell handed the captaincy and the likes of Morgan, former Windies skipper Darren Sammy, Kiwi duo Matt Henry and Martin Guptill as well as Indian quick Varun Aaron purchased at this year's player auction. 

Maxwell says the injection of new players as well as the appointment of former opener Virender Sehwag as Director of Cricket has helped to refresh the group after two lean years.

Quick single: 'I surprised myself': de Villiers

And the Australian says the confidence he gained from his breakthrough Test series has helped him make a strong start to the tournament.

"I think it was pretty much a clean slate for the whole team," Maxwell said last week.

"We came in with blank minds ... we can't control what's happened in the past but hopefully we can control what happens in our future.

"I've been hitting the ball quite well and it's been nice to be comfortable in my line-up in the team and feel like I can control my own destiny in that.

"It's nice to have the leadership, it's given me an extra bit of responsibility and I'm really thriving with that at the moment."