LSG coach Justin Langer reveals how team owner convinced him to take up job

Listen to Story Former Australia head coach Justin Langer recalled a chat with Lucknow Super Giants principal owner Sanjiv Goenka, saying the 'boss man' convinced him to take up the role of head coach in the Indian Premier League with a challenge. Langer has been one of the most successful coaches across all formats, but he has never coached in the IPL.

The former Australia opener will be making his IPL debut as the head coach of LSG in 2024. Lucknow Super Giants chose not to extend Andy Flower's contract and season. Langer has big boots to fill as Flower, the former Zimbabwe captain, led the team to the playoffs in their first two seasons in the league.

Langer has had success in T20 franchise leagues as well, having coached the Perth Scorchers to three Big Bash League titles during his stint with the team from 2012 to 2018. Langer then took over the role of head coach of the Australian cricket team, guiding the team through a tumultuous phase after the ball tampering scandal.

Under Langer, Australia won the Ashes and went on to win the T20 World Cup in 2021. Langer, speaking to the franchise, said he got a message from the team management, asking if he would meet him to discuss a job offer. Langer revealed how Sanjiv Goenka threw him a challenge that he never expected and how it convinced him to take up the role of the head coach.

"Well, it was so funny because I was here in Perth and I received a text message asking me if I had any interest in coaching in the IPL. It was from Vinay, telling me that the owner Sanjiv was in London at the same time and would I be interested in having a coffee with him. And I thought 'Well, I have got nothing to lose' and I went and met the boss," Langar narrated.

"From there, we had a very nice conversation. He is a really good sales man, the boss, because the last thing he said to me was 'you know Justin, you have had a great playing career, you have had a very good coaching career until now. But, you can't consider yourself a great coach until you have won the IPL'.

"I was like 'oh, good sales man skills. I like that boss, man'. "We had some conversations after that. We continue to have good conversations. I am thrilled to be the head coach of this franchise," Langer added. Langer will work captain KL Rahul as Lucknow Super Giants look to create an identity for themselves and connect more to fans across the country, especially in the North Indian city.

"My vision for the Lucknow Super Giants is very, very similar to what I have with the Perth Scorchers and what I had with the Australian cricket team. It's not only to win games of cricket, that's the business we're in, to win tournaments and all that. But it's much bigger than that.

It's about embracing the Lucknow fans and embracing our support group and building our support group, so that our fans come in to watch and make fans putting on the Lucknow shirt," Langer said. Lucknow Super Giants have a good core group and they brought just 6 players in the IPL 2024 mini auction.

KL Rahul (captain), Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal (from RR), Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen ul Haq, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, K. Gowtham. Shivam Mavi (Rs.

6.40 crore), Arshin Kulkarni (Rs. 20 lakh), M. Siddharth (Rs. 2.40 crore), Ashton Turner (Rs. 1 crore), David Willey (Rs. 2 crore), Mohd. Arshad Khan (Rs. 20 lakh)..