Andy Flower appointed head coach of Lucknow franchise ahead of IPL 2022

The Lucknow franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has roped in Andy Flower as the head coach ahead of the 2022 season. One of the most prominent cricket coaches going around, Flower has been associated with IPL since a while and he’s now set to serve the Lucknow-based franchise, which is one of the two new IPL teams alongside Ahmedabad.

It was earlier reported that Flower and former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori are in contention for the position. Hence, it seems like the former Zimbabwe international has piped the Kiwi talisman. Notably, the major announcement was made after receiving permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the board had restricted the new teams from making any declarations yet.

Meanwhile, owner of the franchise, Sanjiv Goenka said he’s delighted to get Flower on board. “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 our vision and add value to our team,” Flower was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

The passion for cricket in India is unrivalled: Andy Flower

Speaking of his appointment, Flower expressed his excitement to work with the new team. “I am incredibly excited to be joining the new Lucknow franchise and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Since my very first tour to India in 1993, I have always loved touring, playing and coaching in India,” stated Flower.

“The passion for cricket in India is unrivalled and it is a real privilege to lead an IPL franchise and I am looking forward to working closely with Dr Goenka and the Lucknow team. I will relish the challenge to build something meaningful and successful with the Lucknow franchise, I am looking forward to meeting the management and staff when I visit Uttar Pradesh in the New Year,” he added.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the Lucknow franchise has signed KL Rahul as skipper for the upcoming season. Notably, Rahul and Flower were part of Punjab Kings team in the last season as assistant coach and captain respectively. Hence, they are likely to reunite in a new team.

For the unversed, the two new franchises have been allowed to recruit a maximum of three players from the non-retained players ahead of the mega auction. The deadline of the submission of the list is December 25.