Reports - Andy Flower to coach Lucknow in Indian T20 League 2022

If reports are to be believed, former Zimbabwe batter Andy Flower has been roped in as the head coach of the Lucknow franchise for the 2022 edition of the Indian T20 League. The fourteenth edition of the T20 tournament will see the addition of two new teams from Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Earlier, there were reports that Flower and former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori are in contention to bag the role but it seems that the Zimbabwean has piped the Kiwi.

A prominent journalist K Shriniwas Rao confirmed Flower's appointment. "Andy Flower will coach Lucknow. We’ll know more about Ahmedabad next week,” he tweeted on Thursday

(December 16).

Andy Flower will coach Lucknow. We'll know more about Ahmedabad next week.

— KSR (@KShriniwasRao) December 16, 2021

Back in the days when Zimbabwe cricket was at its peak, the Flower brothers were integral parts of the team and took Zimbabwe to wins in several important games. Post their retirement, the cricket in the country saw a steady decline as the team could never find the replacement of their stalwarts.

Meanwhile, Andy Flower comes with plenty of coaching experience. He was part of the coaching setup for England's men's team and IPL franchise Punjab Kings. The development comes after several reports stated that KL Rahul is likely to lead the Lucknow franchise in IPL 2022. Both Rahul and Flower has worked together in IPL 2021 with Punjab Kings which could be one of the reasons for Flower's appointment.

The two new franchises have been allowed to pick a few players outside the auction. However, they are still in discussion and are expected to disclose their picks later this month.