Andy Flower: The Luis Enrique Of RCB, Transforming Team To Back-To-Back IPL Champions
It would not be an exaggeration to think that the Royal Challengers then were the Paris Saint-Germain of the IPL, a team thriving on a Galacticos culture.
Accolades have been pouring in for Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru lift their second IPL title on the bounce, but another man might be having a soft chuckle of satisfaction in a quiet corner. Andy Flower - the silent revolutionary who transformed RCB from history-seekers to history-makers. When he took over the reins in August 2023, RCB were still searching for their first IPL title, leaving them a target for merciless social media trolls.
It would not be an exaggeration to think that the Royal Challengers then were the Paris Saint-Germain of the IPL, a team thriving on a Galacticos culture.
Just like PSG, now two-time UEFA Champions League winners under Luis Enrique, the Royal Challengers too went through years of disappointment despite assembling a glittering array of stars.
Along with Kohli, they had some of the best in the T20 business such as AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn, Shane Watson, Yuvraj Singh, etc.
Similar to PSG finding their Messiah in Enrique in 2023, the same year Flower joined the Bengaluru side, RCB found theirs in the Zimbabwean - a no-nonsense cricketing brain who believes in structure and cohesion to bring in desired results.
Flower came with proven multi-level credentials, having guided England to the Ashes in 2005, a Test series win in India (2012) and the 2010 T20 World Cup.
At the club level, he had orchestrated title wins for Multan Sultans, Gulf Giants, Trent Rockets and Maratha Arabians in various franchise leagues. It mirrored Enrique's treble-winning success with Barcelona, and ending PSG's 55-year wait for a European crown.
But for all that, Flower needed to break the set patterns in the Royal Challengers establishment.
Once he took over from Mike Hesson, Flower's focus was to fortify RCB's bowling; yet, the signing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of IPL 2025 for Rs 10.75 crore raised a lot of eyebrows.
But it proved a masterstroke as the veteran pacer amassed 45 wickets across two IPL seasons, leading RCB's bowling unit with aplomb.
Flower, a known supporter of young talent, worked along with mentor Dinesh Karthik, Director of Cricket Mo Bobat and a slew of scouts to rope in some young bowlers like Rasikh Salam Dhar, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh and Mangesh Yadav.
Skipper Patidar stressed Flower's ability to work effectively with seasoned stars and upcoming talent.
"I can say I have played for four years in the IPL. He is one of the best coaches, I feel, because of the way he handles players.
"Not only players who are playing, but also players who are not playing, the new players in the team - those playing their first IPL season - he spends a lot of time with every individual. I don't have enough words for him, but he is the best coach I have played under," gushed Patidar.
The 33-year-old offered the example of Rasikh Dhar to underline his argument.
Dhar took 19 wickets in IPL 2026 to splendidly support the lead cast of Bhuvneshwar and Josh Hazlewood.
"When we gave a chance to Dhar, he looked confident. He is very confident about his skills, about his slower balls, back-of-the-hand deliveries and yorkers. I think he supported Bhuvi and Josh well in IPL 2026. Whenever I see him, he has clarity about his role," he said.
That clarity, Patidar felt, emanates from the equal treatment of players without worrying about their pay grades.
"Definitely, I think the culture has changed. There have been a lot of changes in the mindset of the players. I think all the credit goes to the coaching staff because of the way they are handling the players.
"They know that new players are also an important part of the team, not only the experienced players. Our coaching staff is treating every player equally, and that is the change I feel," he explained.
The cultural change under Flower is visible now. For years, RCB have experimented with coaches who can give them that elusive title.
When they found the right one, he brought it twice in a row to RCB headquarters in Bengaluru.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru