Andy Flower steps down from coaching role at PK
NEW DELHI: Assistant coach Andy Flower has parted ways with Punjab Kings and is expected to land a role in one of the new teams ahead of IPL 2022.
Former Zimbabwe captain Flower, who worked as a coach in England for more than a decade and guided the national team there, was hired for his maiden IPL stint ahead of the 2020 season.
“He sent his resignation to the team recently. It has been accepted. There is a good chance that he goes to one of the new teams (Lucknow or Ahmedabad),” a BCCI official told PTI.
There is a good possibility that the 53-year-old is given a bigger role in his next IPL assignment. Flower worked alongside head coach Anil Kumble for the past two seasons. The development comes at a time when K L Rahul, Punjab Kings skipper for the past two seasons, is expected to move to the Lucknow franchise.
Punjab wanted to retain Rahul but he did not want to stay.
It remains to be seen if Flower stays as head coach of CPL franchise Saint Lucia Kings, which is owned by same consortium that owns Punjab Kings. Saint Lucia finished runners-up in 2020 and 2021 season.
During his time with the England team, Flower led the side to the T20 World Cup title in 2010 and number one spot in the Test rankings.
Wasim Jaffer was Punjab’s batting coach last season and Jonty Rhodes fielding coach.
Punjab have retained only two players -- Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh -- ahead of the mega auction in January. They will be eyeing a bunch of youngsters at the auction along with some established names.
Man Utd co-owner’s company buys UAE T20 League franchise
DUBAI: Lancer Capital, headed by top English football club
Manchester United’s co-chairman Avram Glazer, has made its first foray into cricket by acquiring a franchise in the UAE League.
UAE T20 League chairman and vice-chairman of Emirates Cricket Board, Khalid Al Zarooni, welcomed Glazer into the league.
“To have a partner who has invested into sports properties with a long term investment perspective is a testament to the strength of the UAE T20 League’s business model and its value proposition to its stakeholders,” Zarooni said in a release.
Lancer Capital has investments in a variety of best-inclass assets. Glazer is an owner of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has also been the co-chairman of Manchester United since 2005. Lancer Capital chairman Glazer said, “I am very excited to be a part of UAE T20 at its formation. UAE T20 promises to be a world class event that will be transformative to the growth of cricket in the Emirates.”