Andy Flower to coach Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2024, AB de Villiers may serve as mentor
Former international cricketer Andy Flower is all set to take on the coaching role for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming IPL season, succeeding Mike Hesson, the director of cricket operations. The Bengaluru-based franchise, known for its well-informed decisions, conducted a thorough evaluation before finalising Flower as their coach.
FollowAndy Flower is set to take on the role of coach for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, replacing Mike Hesson, who will be concluding his tenure as the director of cricket operations on August 31. It is expected that the other members of the RCB support staff, led by Hesson, including head coach Sanjay Bangar, will also be leaving.
Flower had been in talks with several franchises, including the Rajasthan Royals, but it has now become clear that he will be joining the Bengaluru-based team for the upcoming years. There is a possibility that AB de Villiers, who played a significant role in the franchise's success, might work with Flower as a mentor, although no official confirmation has been made yet.
Earlier this year, Flower's association with the Lucknow Super Giants came to an end after the completion of his two-year contract following IPL 2023. The team owned by Sanjiv Goenka has already enlisted Justin Langer.
RCB, owned by the UK-based Diageo company, is known for making well-considered decisions backed by extensive research. The appointment of Hesson in 2019 followed a similar thorough selection process. Clearly, the team has carefully evaluated Flower, who is highly esteemed in the international cricket scene.
Flower has been involved with 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). He also served as a consultant within the Australian team's coaching staff during the recently concluded Ashes series and was part of the dressing room for the last three Ashes Tests.
Attempts to reach out to Flower, RCB officials, and skipper Faf du Plessis via text messages have been unsuccessful so far. However, reports within the Indian Premier League community strongly indicate that the deal with Flower has been finalized. Last month, the franchise officials had stated that a decision on the coach could not be made until the contracts of the Hesson-led staff were still intact.
Hesson joined RCB in 2019, during which the team secured playoff berths for three consecutive years. Unfortunately, their hopes for a top-four finish in IPL 2023 were dashed by Shubman Gill's exceptional performance in a crucial match.
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