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LSG's greatest contribution to IPL champions? Andy Flower wins back-to-back titles as RCB coach after Lucknow exit originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- RCB won their second consecutive IPL title by beating GT in the final on Sunday.
- Andy Flower was RCB's head coach in both the title-winning campaigns
- LS released Andy Flower as head coach after IPL 2023 campaign.
LSG catches strays after Andy Flower's back-to-back titles as RCB coach in 2026
Lucknow Super Giants might have unknowingly assisted RCB in their journey to back-to-back IPL titles in 2025 and 2026. Fans have pointed out after the Bengaluru-based franchise became the third team after MI and CSK to win the IPL title in consecutive seasons.
After ending their trophy drought after 18 years in 2025, RCB headed into the 19th season as defending champions and a much more confident outfit.
Their confidence was reflected in their performance throughout the tournament, as they topped the points table at the end of the league stage and then won Qualifier 1 and the Final against GT to clinch the title.
While the likes of Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are rightly celebrated for RCB's triumph, a key architect of the team's success is none other than Zimbabwe legend Andy Flower.
Flower joined RCB in 2023 after LSG released him as head coach after the IPL 2023 season. Flower, who led LSG to two consecutive IPL playoffs, was relieved of his duties, and he moved to RCB.
In just three seasons in charge, RCB have reached the playoffs once and won the title twice and as a result, fans are suggesting that LSG had a role to play in RCB's massive success.
MORE: How RCB engineered a boring IPL 2026 final!
LSG's pain is KKR and RCB's gain
LSG not only parted ways with a coach like Andy Flower, but they also released Gautam Gambhir in the same year as the team's mentor.
The coaching team of Flower and Gambhir was replaced by Justin Langer at the helm, as Flower went to RCB, while Gambhir briefly joined KKR as mentor.
Gambhir went on to win the IPL title as KKR mentor in 2025, while Flower helped RCB win back-to-back titles.
At the same time, LSG failed to reach the playoffs in the last three seasons and finished even at the bottom of the league table in the IPL 2026 season.
MORE: Can Sooryavanshi succeed in Test cricket for India?
The Cricket News Opinion: Now, LSG in search of a new captain after Rishabh Pant steps down
Lucknow Super Giants confirmed last Friday that their captain Rishabh Pant had stepped down from his position after the franchise failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs for the second time in a row under his leadership.
Pant, who LSG signed at the IPL 2025 mega auction for a whopping INR 27 crore, was made the captain of the side ahead of the IPL 2025 campaign. Pant had replaced KL Rahul, who was released ahead of the auction.
However, the most expensive player in IPL history failed to live upto expectations both as a captain and a batter, managing to score a little over 500 runs in two seasons. The team finished seventh in 2025 and 10th this season.
With Pant leaving the captaincy of LSG, the question now arises whether the franchise would retain his services for the upcoming series or if he will be released or traded to another team before the IPL 2027 mini-auction.
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