Former England head coach Andy Flower has been named coach of the Lucknow franchise ahead of the 2022 Indian Premier League.
Lucknow are new to the IPL. They have been added to the tournament, which has grown from eight to 10 teams. The other addition is Ahmedabad.
“The BCCI is happy to welcome two new teams from the next season of the Indian Premier League. I would like to congratulate RPSG Ventures Ltd. & Irelia Company Pte Ltd for being the successful bidders,” said Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly.
“The IPL will now go to two new cities in India in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. It is heartening to see the inclusion of two new teams at such a high valuation, and it reiterates the cricketing and financial strength of our cricket ecosystem.
“True to IPL's motto of ‘Where Talent Meets Opportunity', the inclusion of two new teams will bring more domestic cricketers from our country to the global stage.
“The ITT process included two interested bidders from outside of India, which strongly emphasises the global appeal of the IPL as a sports property. The IPL is proving to be a wonderful instrument in globalising the game of cricket. I am keenly looking forward to IPL 2022.”
Flower Has Worked in IPL, PSL and CPL
Flower was previously assistant coach of the Punjab Kings in the IPL. He was also with the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League and St Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League.
“One of the most important things I've learned in my years of coaching is that looking after the person is more important than developing the player,” Flower told ESPNcricinfo.
“It's a really important thing to learn as a coach because it drives how you interact with people, and how you care for them.”
IPL Title Winners
The Chennai Super Kings are the reigning IPL champions. They beat the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2021 final. The Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the history of the tournament with five titles. Chennai have four titles. Kolkata have two.
Bangalore, Delhi and Punjab have never won the IPL. The Sunrisers Hyderabad have won it once.
