"I believe that if anyone can take RCB forward in the next couple of seasons, it is Andy Flower" - Ian BishopÂ
Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop firmly feels that Andy Flower is the right man to guide the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the next cycle of seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The three-time finalists were knocked out of the tournament following a loss in the Eliminator against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, May 22.
Flower came into the RCB setup after leaving the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) camp. The former Zimbabwe cricketer replaced Sanjay Bangar as the head coach, and had the hard task of guiding the side to their first-ever title and managing the expectations of the ardent fan base.
The renowned coach played a huge role in RCB's fightback in the second half of the season. The franchise were down and out after recording only one win from their first eight matches and were on the brink of elimination. However, they turned things around to win six in a row, including a high-profile win over the Chennai Super Kings in their last league fixture to make it to the playoffs.
Ian Bishop vouched his support for Andy Flower, labeling him as the right candidate to oversee RCB's next cycle.
"I believe that if anyone can take RCB forward in the next couple of seasons, it is Andy Flower," Ian Bishop tweeted on May 23
Apart from the unbeaten run, RCB have several positives to take with them, which include the performances of Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal.
Andy Flower has an excellent record with teams in franchise cricket
Flower had an excellent run as the head coach of the England national team, leading the nation to the 2010 T20 World Cup as well as a series victory in the Ashes.
Since 2016, he has primarily been handling teams in franchise cricket around the globe. He guided Peshawar Zalmi to the top of the league table in his first-ever season as coach and went on to win the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with Multan Sultans in 2020.
Working with Faf du Plessis at St. Lucia Zouks much like in the RCB setup, the franchise made it to the finals of the 2021 edition. His trophy cabinet also includes the International League T20 and the Hundred as well, which he won with the Gulf Giants and Trent Rockets respectively.
Flower will have a huge role to play in the rebuild of the franchise with the mega auction coming up. He is bound to have a say in the retention and releases as well as the picks RCB make at the auction table.