Andy Flower touted to take charge as RCB's director of cricket; AB de Villiers could join coaching staff as mentor - Reports
Former Zimbabwe skipper and renowned coach Any Flower will reportedly replace Mike Hesson as the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) director of cricket. The franchise is plotting a radical change in the backroom staff after a sixth-placed finish in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), which extends its wait for silverware.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, RCB are close to finalizing a deal to appoint Flower while the addition of AB de Villiers to the coaching staff as a mentor is also a growing possibility.
Andy Flower served as the head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the last two seasons, leading them to the playoffs on both occasions. The two parties recently parted ways as LSG chose to appoint former Australian opening batter Justin langer as their new head coach.
Flower, who has coached franchises all over the world as well as international sides, served as a batting consultant for Australia in the recently concluded Ashes series. The Zimbabwean was reportedly in talks with the Rajasthan Royals (RR), but it seems like RCB have won the race to acquire the ace coach's services from the 2024 edition onwards.
AB de Villiers, on the other hand, was the first inductee into the RCB Hall of Fame along with Chris Gayle earlier this year. The former South African batter shares a very close bond with Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis since his playing career. He has also expressed an interest in being associated with the franchise through any role in the past.
RCB unlikely to renew Mike Hesson and Sanjay Bangar's contracts
RCB saw a turnaround in their fortunes since Mike Hesson's appointment, which came after a testing phase for the side. The team had finished at the bottom of the table on two occasions in the matter of three seasons. However, from the 2020 edition, they secured a place in the playoffs three times in a row, but the wait for the elusive trophy continued.
In the 2023 season, RCB narrowly missed out on a playoff berth. They were handed a defeat in the final league-stage match courtesy of Gujarat Titans (GT) batter Shubman Gill's brilliance at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The defeat resulted in a sixth-place finish, putting more pressure on Mike Hesson and head coach Sanjay Bangar.
All signs indicate that the management is unlikely to persist with the aforementioned duo and had asserted the need for fresh ideas, to move the franchise forward. Additionally, the fate of bowling coach Adam Griffith also hangs in the balance.
Will the franchise have a new-look coaching staff ahead of IPL 2024? Let us know what you think.