Former Australian cricketer and head coach Justin Langer has opened up as to how Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka convinced him to take up the head coach role of the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2024. Justin Langer said that he got a message from team management if he wanted to have a meeting with Sanjiv Goenka. This will be for the first time that Justin Langer will be coaching any team in the IPL. Langer will replace Andy Flower to become the new head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming season of the IPL. 

Previously, Langer has maintained the most successful stint as the head coach of Australia men’s cricket team, leading the team to the T20I World Cup title in 2021. He’s also coached Perth Scorchers between 2012 to 2018 in the Big Bash League where he led the team to three title victories. With the leadership transition, Langer will have a crucial role to play to take LSG to success. During Andy Flower’s time, LSG made it to the playoffs in their back-to-back seasons after they made their IPL debut in 2022. 

“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,” Langer said in an interview on LSG’s X account (formerly Twitter). 

“From there, we had a very nice conversation. He is a really good sales man, the boss, because the 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,” he said.

“We had some conversations after that. We Continue to have good conversations. I am thrilled to be the head coach of this franchise,” stated Langer.