IPL: Justin Langer replaces Andy Flower as head coach of Lucknow Super Giants

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New Delhi. Former Australian men’s team coach Justin Langer was on Friday appointed as the new head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Lucknow Super Giants.

Langer will replace Andy Flower, whose two-year contract with the franchise expired after the IPL 2023 season.

“The Lucknow Super Giants franchise is on a journey to create a great story in the IPL. We all have a role to play in that journey and I am excited to be a part of the team going forward,” Langer said in a statement.

The 52-year-old Langer has a lot of coaching experience in T20 cricket but will be coaching in the IPL for the first time. He coached the Perth Scorchers to three Big Bash League titles, besides being the head coach when Australia won the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup title in the United Arab Emirates.

He was appointed as coach of the Australia men’s team in May 2018 following the sandpaper scandal in Cape Town involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

During Langer’s coaching tenure, Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2019, capturing the urn by winning 4–0 at home, in addition to the semi-finals in the 2019 ODI World Cup, before stepping down from the role in February 2022.

On the other hand, under Flower’s coaching, LSG had twice reached the playoffs after finishing third on the points table and were eliminated in the eliminators in IPL 2022 and 2023.

LSG wrote on its Twitter handle, “Dear Andy, today is farewell, but it will never be goodbye because you will always be one of our loved ones. Thank you for everything!”

Ever since his international playing days with Zimbabwe ended, Flower has made a name for himself in the coaching circuit. He led England to Ashes victories at home in 2009 and 2013 and more importantly in Australia in 2010-11.

Flower was also England’s head coach to the 2010 Men’s T20 World Cup title win in the West Indies, before stepping down from the role in 2014, and went on to work in England’s pathway system for the next five years.

He then served as the assistant coach for the Punjab Kings in the IPL for two seasons before joining the newly created Lucknow franchise in 2022.

The former Zimbabwean cricketer, apart from coaching Trent Rockets to the Men’s Hundred title last year, also served as the head coach of Gulf Giants in UAE’s ILT20 competition and Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year. did.

More recently, in addition to commentating on the men’s ODI World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe, Flower joined the Australian camp in an advisory role ahead of the World Test Championship final against India and for the ongoing Ashes in England.

(IANS)

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