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

New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) Former Australia men's coach Justin Langer was on Friday appointed as the new head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) side Lucknow Super Giants.

Langer will replace Andy Flower, whose two-year contract with the franchise came to an end after the IPL 2023 season.

"Lucknow Super Giants are on the journey of building 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 moving forward," said Langer in a statement issued by the franchise.

The 52-year old Langer has rich experience of coaching in T20 cricket, but he will be coaching in the IPL for the first time. He coached Perth Scorchers to three Big Bash League titles, apart from being at the helm when Australia won the Men’s T20 World Cup title in 2021 in the UAE.

Franchise owner Dr Sanjiv Goenka revealed that team mentor Gautam Gambhir had recommended Langer's name to him as new head coach of LSG.

Notably, Gambhir in 2015 had trained extensively under Langer in Perth, in a bid to revive his international career, which briefly led to him returning to the Indian Test team in 2016 in the home series against England.  

"I have enjoyed my interactions with Justin Langer. He seems to bring in a huge amount of aggression and a lot of clarity. His name was suggested to me by Gautam Gambhir and when I interacted with Justin, I was very impressed. I am very happy that he is a part of LSG," Goenka said.

Langer was appointed as the coach of Australia men's team in May 2018, in the aftermath of 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, before capturing the urn by winning 4-0 at home, apart from a semi-final finish in 2019 ODI World Cup, before stepping down from the role in February 2022.

On the other hand, under Flower's coaching, LSG had reached the playoffs after finishing third in points table twice, before crashing out in the eliminator in IPL 2022 and 2023.

"Dear Andy, Today it’s farewell, but it’ll never be goodbye because you’ll always be one of our own. Thank you for everything!," wrote LSG on their twitter handle.

Flower worked as assistant coach for Punjab Kings in the IPL for two seasons before joining the newly-created Lucknow franchise. He also served as head coach of Gulf Giants in UAE's ILT20 competition and of Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year, apart from coaching Trent Rockets to the Men's Hundred title last year.

More recently, Flower had joined the Australian camp ahead of the World Test Championship final against India and for the ongoing Ashes in England in a consultancy role, apart from commentating on the Men's ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

Since his international cricket playing days with Zimbabwe came to an end, Flower has made a name for himself in the coaching circuit. He guided England to Ashes wins in 2009 and 2013 at home, and more importantly, in Australia in 2010-11.

Flower was also the head coach of England winning the 2010 Men's T20 World Cup title in the West Indies, before stepping down from the role in 2014. He moved towards working in England's pathway systems for next five years, before moving on to coach in various franchise leagues.