Flintoff leaves Northern Superchargers after two seasons as head coach

Andrew 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.

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."

Flintoff confirmed that he had had discussions with representatives from the Sun Group, which also owns Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, but came to the conclusion that they had other plans for their first season in the competition. Daniel Vettori, their head coach at Hyderabad who has been in charge at Birmingham Phoenix, is one name who could potentially come into the frame.

"We've seen the Hundred change now," Flintoff said. "We've got new owners, and I spoke to them when they phoned up. They said they wanted us to do it, so I said: 'Yeah, fine. Make us an offer.'

"I genuinely don't do it for the money, right, although it's nice … but I think I'm worth more than just over a quarter of the [salary of] other head coaches. I wasn't encouraged they wanted me anyway, but then also you want to feel valued. So I said that it's not going to work for me, and they weren't going to move on it.

"So, unfortunately, I'm not going to do it, which is sad. The past two years, I felt we were building somewhere really nice, and I'd have loved to have seen it through."

Sunrisers insisted that Flintoff had been made a contract offer for 2026 which featured an improved salary. "We had discussions with Freddie and extended an offer which was an increase over his current salary at Northern Superchargers," a spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. "While we would have loved to have him on board, we respect his decision."

Flintoff's availability could pique the interest of other franchises, notably Manchester Originals - based at his Lancashire home of Old Trafford - who finished sixth in this year's competition and whose incumbent, Simon Katich, is currently out of contract. Trent Rockets are also seeking a new name in charge, following the departure of Andy Flower to London Spirit.

"I've had a couple more offers over the past few days, but I don't know," Flintoff said. "I'm quite relaxed about it."