Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), featuring former India captain Virat Kohli, are set to have a new coach for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. RCB have already parted ways with director of cricket and former New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson and are set to appoint former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as the new head coach for the upcoming season.
Flower, who was the former head coach England team, was the head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) till the IPL 2023 season. Last month, LSG replaced Flower with former Australia coach Justin Langer for the upcoming IPL season.
Flower was engaged in discussions with several franchises, including the Rajasthan Royals. “We are beyond thrilled to welcome ICC Hall of Famer and T20 World Cup winning coach Andy Flower as the Head Coach of RCB Men’s team. Andy’s experience of coaching IPL & T20 teams around the world, and leading his teams to titles at the PSL, ILT20, The Hundred and Abu Dhabi T10 will help in developing a championship winning mindset and take RCB’s philosophy forward,” an RCB tweet read on Friday.
We are beyond thrilled to welcome ___ ____ __ _____ and ___ _____ ___ winning coach ____ ______ as the ____ _____ of RCB Men's team. __
Andy's experience of coaching IPL & T20 teams around the world, and leading his teams to titles_ pic.twitter.com/WsMYGCkcYT
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) August 4, 2023
Flower’s association with the Lucknow Super Giants concluded earlier this year following the culmination of his two-year contract after IPL 2023. RCB, under the ownership of the UK-based Diageo company, are known making well-informed decisions backed by extensive research. The appointment of Hesson in 2019 followed a similar diligent selection process.
Flower’s involvement extends to several T20 teams worldwide, including the St. Lucia Zouks in the CPL (2020), Multan Sultans in the PSL (2021), and Gulf Giants in the ILT20 (2023). Additionally, he served as a consultant within the Australian team’s coaching staff during the recently-concluded Ashes 2023 series.
Hesson’s association with RCB had begun back in 2019, during which the team secured playoff berths for three consecutive years. Unfortunately, their aspirations for a top-four finish in the IPL 2023 were thwarted by Shubman Gill’s brilliant century in a must-win match after Virat Kohli had scored his second-successive century.
