“Incredibly excited”: Andy Flower expresses excitement on becoming Lucknow IPL team head coach for IPL 2022

Andy Flower: The former Zimbabwean captain will be playing the role of a head coach for the first time in the Indian Premier League.

Former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower has been appointed as the head coach of Lucknow’s untitled Indian Premier League franchise for the 15th season of the biggest T20 tournament.

Readers must note that Indian business conglomerate RPSG (RP Sanjiv Goenka Group) had acquired the rights of the Lucknow franchise for a whopping INR 7,090 crore earlier this year.

While RPSG Group took to social media platform Twitter to confirm Flower’s appointment, the same had been doing the rounds in the Indian media for a couple of weeks now.

Flower, whose biggest flex in a coaching capacity doubtlessly comes on the back of more than a decade-long association with England men’s cricket team, has most recently coached Multan Sultans (title victory) and St Lucia Kings (runners-up) in Pakistan Super League and Caribbean Premier League respectively.

Punjab Kings, who have the same owners as St Lucia Kings in the CPL, had hired Flower for a couple of seasons; although as an assistant coach.

If reports are to be believed, Lucknow are also highly likely to rope in India wicket-keeper batter Lokesh Rahul as their captain for IPL 2022. With Rahul and Flower having already worked together at Punjab, the same might not be a bad idea for a new IPL franchise.

Andy Flower expresses excitement on becoming Lucknow IPL team head coach for IPL 2022

“As a player and a coach, Andy has left an indelible mark in the history of cricket. We respect his professionalism and hope he will work with out vision and add value to our team,” RPSG chairman Dr. Sanjiv Goenka said in an official statement.

ALSO READ: Will Ravi Shastri be the head coach of Ahmedabad team in IPL 2022?

“I am incredible excited to be joining the new IPL franchise and I am very grateful for the opportunity. The passion for cricket in India is unrivaled and it is a real privilege to lead an IPL franchise and I am looking forward with working closely with Dr. Goenka and the Lucknow team,” Flower said in an official statement.

Flower, 53, is the highest run-scorer for Zimbabwe amassing 11,580 runs with the help of 16 centuries and 82 half-centuries in 276 matches across formats between 1992-2003.