Justin Langer appointed LSG head coach: Decoding his stats
Lucknow Super Giants have announced the appointment of Justin Langer, who will take over the reins as the head coach from Andy Flower. Interestingly, this will be his first coaching stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL). LSG had a two-year contract with Flower and despite decent results, the management did not extend the contract. Here we decode Langer's credentials as a coach.
Langer excited to join LSG
Langer was delighted to join the franchise as their new head coach. "Lucknow Super Giants are on the journey of building a great story in the IPL," Langer said in a statement released by LSG. "We all have a role to play in that journey and I am excited to be a part of the team moving forward," he added.
A new start for LSG and Langer!
Three BBL titles with the Perth Scorchers
Langer was appointed as the head coach of the Perth Scorchers in 2011. In his first season, he guided the team to the BBL final. In 2013-14, they won the title, beating the Hobart Hurricanes. They tasted glory in the following season as well. Perth became a consistent franchise as they bagged their third title in four seasons by beating the Sixers in 2016-17.
Australia's first T20 World Cup title
Langer had a 55.5% win record in Tests as Australia's head coach. The record was only bettered by John Buchanan among all the Australian coaches. He helped Australia lift their first T20 World Cup in 2021 in UAE. Previously, he guided them to their first Ashes retention in England in 18 years in 2019, before winning 4-0 against them in the 2021-22 home Ashes.
Langer has previously worked with Gambhir
As per ESPNCricinfo, Langer worked as Gautam Gambhir's mentor when he tried to resurrect his career in 2015. They met in the now-defunct Champions League T20. Gambhir was KKR's captain and Langer was coaching the Scorchers at the event. Gambhir spent a fortnight in Perth working on his technical flaws and mental toughness under Langer's guidance. The duo will now join forces again.
Consecutive third-placed finish for LSG in IPL
LSG finished third in the standings in their debut IPL season (2022). They registered 18 points, courtesy of nine wins. They lost to RCB in the Eliminator. The following season was more or the same. LSG finished third in IPL 2023. LSG tallied eight wins, while one match was washed out, amassing 17 points. They lost to MI in the Eliminator.
