'That's a shocking question': Maxwell

Australia batsman Glenn Maxwell has taken exception to a question regarding his play against spin bowling during a press conference following Kings XI Punjab's IPL defeat to Delhi Daredevils on Saturday night.

Maxwell, who was caught just short of the rope for a second-ball duck in his side's 51-run defeat, fronted the press afterward as Punjab captain.

Quick Single: Dynamic Delhi take down Maxi's Kings

The right-hander was asked about his play against spin bowling, with an inference that his wicket at the hands of leg-spinner Amit Mishra was part of a wider issue with his batting.

 "That's a shocking question," Maxwell said. "Do you understand in the last three games I've hit leg-spinners for six repeatedly?

"S*** question."

Maxwell's frustrations are perhaps well founded; the Victorian came into Australia's Test side last month during the Border-Gavaskar series and promptly made a century in his first trip to the middle, handling India's all-conquering spin pair Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja with aplomb.

In the following Test in Dharamsala, Maxwell top-scored with 45 in Australia's second innings, and after being named captain of Kings XI, he began this year's IPL tournament with consecutive unbeaten scores of 44 (20 balls) and 43 (22), both of which took his team to victory.

He followed it up with 25 from 14 deliveries in KXIP's first loss against table-toppers KKR.

Of the 17 players to have already passed 100 runs in this year's IPL, Maxwell's strike-rate of 193 tops the group, while only AB de Villiers (10) has hit more sixes than the aggressive Australian's nine.

A closer look at the middle-order batsman's form against spin in IPL 2017 reveals some interesting numbers.

Quick Single: Umpire vindicated by IPL rule change

From 32 deliveries bowled by seven different spinners (five of whom are leg-spinners – Sunil Narine is an off-spinner, while the other, Pawan Negi, is a left-arm orthodox spinner and as such turns the ball the same way as the leggies) Maxwell has scored 59 runs for once out and a strike-rate of 184.38, with fives sixes and four fours.

The queries over the Victorian's ability against spin come in direct contrast to Australia coach Darren Lehmann's assessment that "he plays spin bowling well", with the allrounder having made all five of his Test appaearances to date on the spin-friendly surfaces of Asia.

Maxwell against spin in IPL 2017

Yuzvendra Chahal: Six balls, nine runs, with one six

Pawan Negi: Four balls, five runs, with one four

Rahul Chahar: Six balls, 12 runs, with one six and one four

Imran Tahir: Six balls, 15 runs, with two sixes

Piyush Chawla: Five balls, 16 runs, with one six and two fours

Sunil Narine: Three balls, two runs

Amit Mishra: Two balls, zero runs, once out

Total: 32 balls, 59 runs, with five sixes and four fours for once out