Cricket

RCB rope in Andy Flower as Head Coach

August 5, 2023 6:09 pm

Andy Flower joins Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after Mike Hesson and Sanjay Bangar’s contracts were not renewed.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have brought Andy Flower on board as the head coach for a three-year term as they continue their search for the elusive trophy. The franchise had a disappointing campaign in IPL 2023, failing to make the playoffs for the first time in four years.

The decision came after a comprehensive performance review following IPL 2023, where RCB finished sixth and missed the playoffs due to a loss in the final group match. Mike Hesson, the director of cricket operations and Sanjay Bangar, the head coach were both let go.ย 

Flower takes over from Bangar in the job after having also been in discussion with Rajasthan Royals. The franchise will announce a new director of cricket operations to replace Hesson in the next couple of months. At RCB, Flower will reunite with the skipper Faf du Plessis, with whom he worked during his stint with St Lucia Kings in the CPL.

“I recognise the work put in by Mike Hesson and Sanjay Bangar, who are two coaches I respect. I’m particularly excited to be reunited with Faf. We have worked very well together in the past. I look forward to forging our partnership and relationship into something bigger and better,” Flower said in an RCB statement.

Flower was the head coach of Lucknow Super Giants until the conclusion of the 2023 season. LSG made back to back playoffs in their first two years in the league but was replaced by the former Australia coach Justin Langer last month. Prior to his role at LSG, Flower was associated with Punjab Kings in the IPL.

The former Zimbabwe captain Flower is amongst the best coaches in the world and has a pretty decorated resume. Flower is a T20 World Cup-winning coach, having won the title with England in 2010. He has also won titles as a head coach in other leagues, with Multan Sultans at PSL, Gulf Giants in ILT20 and Trent Rockets in the men’s Hundred.ย 

Can Andy Flower break RCB’s title drought?

Flower has a big task ahead of him to deliver RCB their maiden trophy. The franchise has made the IPL final three times but has never won any trophy. Their last final appearance was in 2016, where they were beaten by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

READ: WI v IND, 2nd T20I prediction

Mike Hesson joined RCB in similar circumstances in 2019, when the franchise decided against renewing the contracts with Gary Kirsten, Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki following a bottom-place finish.

Hesson did a pretty good job in mainly bringing some sort of stability to the team. He led RCB to three consecutive playoffs from 2020 to 2022. Bangar was brought into the fold last year, following Simon Katich’s exit as head coach.

As for the Women’s Premier League, RCB will appoint a new head coach soon. In the inaugural season, Hesson oversaw the proceedings but failed to make the playoffs despite having a star-studded line-up. It is reported that the management of the women’s team is unlikely to come under the domain of the new director of cricket, with only the head coach and captain making the decisions.

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About the author

Rohit

Rohit is an ardent cricket fan who aims to catch up with the coverage of every single cricket match. He can be found jotting down his thoughts on the game or practicing his favourite pull shot during breaks from watching cricket.