Former England allrounder fails to agree terms with Sun Group, the new owners of franchise
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2025Andrew Flintoff has revealed he will be parting ways with Northern Superchargers after two seasons as men’s head coach, after failing to agree terms with the franchise’s new Indian owners ahead of the transformative 2026 season.Flintoff, 47, had been a surprise pick when announced as Superchargers’ head coach in November 2023. It was his first senior coaching position, and came on the back of his brief involvement with the England Men’s backroom staff as part of his return to public life, following a life-threatening accident on the set of the BBC’s Top Gear in December 2022.He enjoyed some success in the role, with a team captained by Harry Brook and featuring other England players including Adil Rashid, Zak Crawley and Matthew Potts. Superchargers finished fourth in Flintoff’s first season in 2024, then went one better in this season’s competition, only to be denied a shot at the title when rain washed out their Eliminator against Trent Rockets, who progressed to the final by dint of their higher finish in the group stage.Related
Northern Superchargers officially renamed Sunrisers Leeds
Flintoff on Hundred fast track but return raises awkward questions
Andrew Flintoff's first foray falls flat as Hundred's tough sell continues
Andrew Flintoff appointed as England Lions men's head coach
Andrew Flintoff 'remembers everything' about near-fatal crash in Disney+ documentary
He has since extended his coaching credentials, following his appointment as head coach of England Lions, whose fortunes he will continue to oversee on this winter’s tour of Australia, which runs parallel with the senior team’s Ashes campaign.However, speaking to the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Flintoff confirmed that his involvement with the Superchargers was over. The franchise is now owned by the Sun Group, the Indian media conglomerate who also own Sunrisers Hyderabad, and who bid just over £100 million for a 100% stake in the tournament’s equity sale earlier this year.”I’ll be honest with you, franchise coaching was never in my plans,” Flintoff told the podcast. “Marcus North [director of cricket] phoned me up, and I thought: ‘Yeah, go on then.’ And I loved it, actually.”It was at Yorkshire [Headingley], which was different for me [as a former Lancashire player], but then to actually be involved in it, I think they took to us. As a side we did some pretty good stuff, but we were so unlucky.”