2010 ICC World T20-winning Coach Andy Flower hired as Gulf Giants Head Coach
The sports arm of the Adani Group, Adani Sportsline, has announced the name of its team in the UAE International League T20 (ILT20) as ‘Gulf Giants’.
The ‘Gulf Giants’ is an extension of Adani Sportsline’s brand – Gujarat Giants. Adani Sportsline engages with fans through popular Indian leagues such as the Pro Kabaddi League, the Big Bout Boxing League, and the Ultimate Kho Kho League under this brand. Similarly, it aims to engage and connect with cricket fans worldwide through the brand, ‘Gulf Giants’, at the UAE ILT20. The word ‘Gulf’ in the name refers to the region in which the matches will be played.
The golden falcon in the logo is the national bird of the UAE and is regarded as a powerful symbol of strength. To maintain the uniformity of the team’s identity, the logo’s colours are drawn from the Giants team family. The Adani Group is also very proud to be participating in a tournament that will be held in a country with a rich culture and history.
Gulf Giants has also named Andy Flower, former Zimbabwe captain and 2010 ICC World T20-winning coach (England team), as its head coach for the inaugural season of the ILT20, which will take place between January and February 2023. Andy Flower, arguably Zimbabwe’s greatest ever cricketer, brings three decades of cricketing experience. He was also the head coach of the IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants until recently. Flower has previously coached the national teams, England and Afghanistan, as well as franchise teams such as Punjab Kings (IPL), Maratha Arabians (Abu Dhabi T10), Multan Sultans (PSL), St Lucia Kings (CPL) and Delhi Bulls (Abu Dhabi T10).
“I am very proud to be associated with the Adani Group, particularly Adani Sportsline. Most people are aware of the company’s power, size and reach in general, and it’s wonderful to see their commitment to sports. The Adani Group is also very proud of its support for Indian Olympic sports. It’s exciting to be a part of any of the big franchise tournaments, and the ILT20 has big plans to be a major franchise tournament. As leaders, our job is to serve the players as best we can, and this principle is very important to me,” said Andy Flower.
“We welcome Andy Flower as Head Coach at Gulf Giants,” said Satyam Trivedi, Adani Sportsline. “We are confident that Andy will contribute to development and mentoring of a cohesive team. I am confident that he will also help to align our players with our vision of connecting and engaging with global cricket fans from all over the world.”
Adani Sportsline envisions inculcating a culture of sports at the grassroots level and providing world-class opportunities and infrastructure for future champions in India. Apart from promoting home-grown sports in India by participating in major Indian and global sports leagues, Adani Sportsline also organises the annual Adani Ahmedabad Marathon, which has now moved among the top four marathons in India. Further, through #GarvHai initiative, Adani Sportsline has supported over 28 athletes till date across different events such as boxing, wrestling, tennis, javelin throw, shooting, running, shotput, brisk walking, archery, and more.