IPL player auction: Andy Flower - You need combo of cricketing intelligence and data

Andy Flower

Former Zimbabwe batsman and captain Andy Flower, who coached the Multan Sultans to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) title last year, is excited about the upcoming Indian Premier League auction as he assumes his role of head coach of the new Lucknow Super Giants franchise.

"I've never experienced an IPL auction, never sat at the table, so I don't know exactly what the process of the auction feels like, but I've watched it on TV and I've got some good people around me that have lots of experience like Dr Sanjiv Goenka [team owner], Raghu Iyer, the chief executive and Gautam Gambhir, the consultant to the franchise. Together we are working really closely on the auction strategy and also the staffing as we want to build something special," Flower said during a YouTube interaction with Anis Sajan, the former owner of Abu Dhabi T10 League side, Delhi Bulls.

Though Flower hasn't been part of an IPL auction before, he seems to have a well laid out strategy. "The range of variables that exist in this big auction is quite daunting, so a combination of good preparation and homework is important. Also, being flexible and making a quick decision in the moment is important. There might well be the odd bargain that comes up which you hadn't planned for and that you might have to move in for if you see it's excellent value. Then, there will be players who are first, second and third in our priority list to fulfill a particular role, but they may be taken by other teams because a lot of us will be angling for similar players. So, we will have to efficiently combine cricketing intelligence with black and white data. I'm sure we will be able to get a squad together that's going to perform well in its first season," explained Flower, who has taken leave from the Multan Sultans to be in Bengaluru for the IPL auction on Saturday (February 12) and will rejoin them for the ongoing PSL the next day.