Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owned The Hundred franchise, Northern Superchargers, have decided to part ways with head coach and former England star Andrew Flintoff ahead of the next season. The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, which will take over 100% stakes from the 2026 edition of the tournament, are understood to have not agreed terms with Flintoff, leading to his subsequent exit.
The development was confirmed by the 47-year-old himself on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.
Flintoff said, “I’ll be honest with you, franchise coaching was never in my plans. Marcus North [director of cricket] phoned me up, and I thought: ‘Yeah, go on then.’ And I loved it, actually.”
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While Andrew Flintoff confirmed his departure, he revealed that the SRH owners have different plans for the season. The Sun Group, which also owns Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, are expected to bring in SRH coach Daniel Vettori, and the Kiwi is currently the frontrunner for the role. Vettori has also been managing Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
Apart from franchise cricket, Flintoff who survived a near-death accident in BBC’s Top Gear in 2022, has also extended his coaching portfolio after his appointment as head coach of England Lions.
Given an impressive resume and his familiarity with the conditions, Flintoff might be on the radar of other IPL-owned Hundred teams. His availability opens up intriguing possibilities for at least two franchises. Manchester Originals, who are co-owned by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), finished a disappointing sixth and are based at his home venue of Old Trafford. Flintoff can be a viable candidate for the Originals as Simon Katich’s contract has also expired. The Trent Rockets are another possible destination since they are seeking a new head coach after Andy Flower’s departure to London Spirit.
Confirming the same, Flintoff added, “I’ve had a couple more offers over the past few days, but I don’t know. I’m quite relaxed about it.”
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