Team owner said the former Zimbabwe captain was chosen because of his “professionalism” as a player and coach

Sanjiv Goenka, RPSG’s owner, told ESPNcricinfo that Flower’s contract is “longer”, although he didn’t specify the exact duration. In a media release, Goenka said Flower was chosen because of his “professionalism” and that he had “left an indelible mark” on the game as both a player and coach.

Flower said he would “relish the challenge to build something meaningful and successful” with the Lucknow franchise, one of the two new IPL teams, along with the Ahmedabad franchise, who will debut in 2022.

Flower is no newcomer to the IPL. He served as the assistant coach for two seasons at Punjab Kings from 2020. Flower’s high pedigree as a coach across formats is well-known: he was at the helm when England dominated Test cricket and were No.1 on the rankings about a decade ago as well as when Paul Collingwood’s team won the 2010 World T20, England’s maiden ICC trophy.

“When I was with England, we wanted to approach the game differently, and help us as coaches to understand the game to a different depth and breadth, and also help players challenge their understanding of the game,” he said. “In this last period, it’s an important part of it. But you can never forget that you’re dealing with human beings. One of the most important things I’ve learned in my years of coaching is that looking after the person is more important than developing the player. It’s a really important thing to learn as a coach because it drives how you interact with people, and how you care for them.”