Lucknow Super Giants look set to hand Tom Moody the keys to their entire cricket programme, a move that would place the former Australia all-rounder in charge of their IPL side as well as sister teams Durban’s Super Giants (SA20) and the Manchester franchise in the Hundred.
Talks are at an advanced stage and, barring any late hitch, an announcement is expected shortly. “Tom’s track record basically sells itself,” a senior Super Giants official said on Tuesday, asking not to be named because contracts are still being finalised. “We wanted somebody who can knit three very different squads together without losing sight of the local flavour each tournament demands. He ticks those boxes.”
If confirmed, the 60-year-old will step back into the IPL for the first time since leaving Sunrisers Hyderabad at the end of the 2022 season. That second stint in Hyderabad followed a highly successful 2013-19 run that included the 2016 title. A brief return as director of cricket in 2021 morphed into the head-coach job a year later when Trevor Bayliss departed.
Moody’s diary has remained busy. Earlier this northern summer, he guided Oval Invincibles to a third straight Hundred crown, and his Desert Vipers side finished runners-up in the ILT20 in both 2023 and 2025. That résumé caught the eye of several owners: Surrey and the Mumbai-based Reliance group, now 49 per cent stakeholders in the Invincibles, both sounded him out about an extended stay at The Oval. In the end, though, the Super Giants’ offer of a broader brief appears to have swung it.
“I’ve always enjoyed projects where you’re building something across formats and geographies,” Moody told BBC Radio in August, speaking more generally about multi-team models. “There’s a lot of shared learning if you’re willing to get the logistics right.” Those words feel even more relevant now.
Lucknow’s owners, the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, have not released contract details, but insiders suggest a multi-year agreement is on the table. The franchise had tried a similar structure last season, installing Zaheer Khan as global director on a two-year deal. That partnership ended after one campaign, leaving the post vacant since September.
On-field results have plateaued. Lucknow reached the play-offs in their first two IPL seasons (2022 and 2023) but slipped to seventh in 2025, winning just six of 14 matches. A promising 5-3 start unravelled as the summer wore on; they managed only a single victory in their last six. Home form at the Ekana Stadium was patchy too, two wins from seven, raising questions about surface preparation and batting strategy.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Moody’s appointment would be “a sensible call”. Speaking on his YouTube channel he said: “LSG have tremendous talent but possibly need an overarching vision. Tom brings that, plus the experience of working in very different leagues.” Chopra added that integrating the South African and English off-shoots could help “standardise scouting and data use” across the group.
None of that guarantees instant success, of course. Franchise cricket moves quickly, and Moody will inherit a squad that has required late-season repairs more than once. Yet his reputation for clear planning and calm man-management gives Lucknow supporters cause for optimism.
Durban and Manchester staff are expected to continue running day-to-day operations, with Moody acting as the link between coaching groups, performance analysts and scouts. “It’s not about walking in and ripping things up,” one analyst who has worked with him previously said. “He usually asks what’s working, what’s not, then tweaks.”
Any formal unveiling is likely to come after logistical details—work-permits, travel schedules between India, South Africa and the UK—are ironed out. For now, the Super Giants appear confident they have their man, and Moody looks set for yet another chapter in a coaching career that shows little sign of slowing down.
