The former England coach Andy Flower, who was working as Anil Kumble’s assistant at Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the last two seasons of the IPL, has now resigned from his position amidst reports circulating that he has been approached by one of the two new IPL franchises.
It has been difficult for Punjab given the fact that their skipper KL Rahul has also left them and the reports around that development have also suggested that there was an approach from Lucknow, although nothing has been confirmed yet by any of the parties concerned.
Andy Flower is someone who has worked as a head coach in most of the other reputed leagues around the world whether it’s the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL) or The Hundred which was organized in England earlier this year in a different format.
Even in the international circuit in the past, Flower has held top positions and it was always on the cards that he might take up the offer to be the head coach at the other franchises whenever it comes his way. With two new franchises trying to have experienced people on board before the mega auction, the approach to Andy Flower shouldn’t be a surprise.
Andy Flower had guided Multan Sultans from the bottom of the table to PSL title earlier this year
One of Andy Flower’s biggest achievements in the T20 circuit came in the last season of the PSL where he turned around the fortunes of Multan Sultans, who were at the bottom of the league when the league was postponed because of COVID in February-March this year.
On the resumption of the league, the Sultans, under the guidance of Flower, miraculously climbed up the ladder and not only did they finish in top 4 to advance to the playoffs, they then went on to win the whole league itself and that too when they didn’t have the services of one of their key overseas allrounders Carlos Brathwaite for the second leg.
Flower’s last assignment as a head coach in T20 cricket was in the last season of CPL where he was coaching St Lucia Kings who qualified to the final of the the league before getting beaten by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Flower is currently coaching Delhi Bulls in the T10 league where the Bulls have already made the playoffs as well.
If both KL Rahul and Andy Flower end up at the new Lucknow franchise as the reports suggest, it might be the start of an era.
