Andy Flower appointed head coach of IPL's Lucknow franchise

Former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower was on Friday appointed as the head coach of the yet-to-be-named Lucknow franchise, which will make its debut in the 2022 Indian Premier League.

Flower was working with Punjab Kings as assistant coach for the past two seasons.

KL Rahul, who was Punjab's skipper for the last two seasons, is also expected to move to the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise.

"I am incredibly excited to be joining the new Lucknow franchise and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Since my very first tour to India in 1993, I have always loved touring, playing and coaching in India," said Flower in a statement.

"The passion for cricket in India is unrivalled and it is a real privilege to lead an IPL franchise and I am looking forward to working closely with Dr Goenka and the Lucknow team.

"I will relish the challenge to build something meaningful and successful with the Lucknow franchise, I am looking forward to meeting the management and staff when I visit Uttar Pradesh in the new year."

Goenka added: "As a player and a Coach Andy has left an indelible mark in the history of cricket . We respect his professionalism and hope he will work with our vision and add value to our team."

The Zimbabwean great, who coached England to the T20 World Cup title in 2010 and also the number one spot in Test rankings, is at the helm of Punjab Kings owned franchise in the Caribbean Premier League -- Saint Lucia Kings.

The Goenka-led RP-SG Group had shelled out ₹7090 crore to own the Lucknow franchise.