UAE T20 League: Gautam Adani-owned Gulf Giants sign Andy Flower as head coach

The Adani Group, which had acquired a franchise in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s flagship T20 league in May this year, has officially confirmed the signing of former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower as their head coach. Flower has a wealth of experience, having been a part of various teams across the globe. The franchise bought by the Gautam Adani-owned group is named the Gulf Giants.

The former left-handed batter had served as the coach of the England team and apart from that also worked as the batting coach of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi and the assistant coach of the Punjab franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He currently serves as the head coach of three global franchises- Multan Sultans of PSL, St Lucia Zouks of Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and the Lucknow Super Giants of IPL.

Andy Flower brings three decades of cricketing experience: Adani Group

About signing Flower, the group said, “Andy, arguably Zimbabwe’s greatest ever cricketer, brings three decades of cricketing experience. Flower has previously coached the national teams, England and Afghanistan, as well as franchise teams such as Punjab Kings (IPL), Maratha Arabians (Abu Dhabi T10), Multan Sultans (PSL), St Lucia Kings (CPL), and Delhi Bulls (Abu Dhabi T10).”

Flower said: “I am very proud to be associated with the Adani Group, particularly Adani Sportsline. Most people are aware of the company’s power, size and reach in general, and it’s wonderful to see their commitment to sports. It’s exciting to be a part of any of the big franchise tournaments, and the ILT20 has big plans to be a major franchise tournament. As leaders, our job is to serve the players as best we can, and this principle is very important to me.”

In June, the Emirates Cricket Board officially confirmed that the inaugural edition of the International League T20 (ILT20) will be played between the window of 6th January to 12th February 2023. The six-team 34-match franchise-style League will be played in the UAE.

Last year, the Adani Group made an unsuccessful attempt at bidding for a new IPL franchise that featured two new entrants – Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Despite bidding a staggering INR 5,100 crore each for acquiring both franchises, the Gautam Adani-owned group could not make the final cut.

At the same time, it also needs to be noted that the ILT20 was originally set to be launched in January-February this year but the third wave of COVID-19 ended up forcing the organisers to put the ideas on hold for an indefinite period.