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August 28, 2024
Zaheer Khan’s inaugural role as mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants will kick off with the IPL 2025 auction.
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to appoint former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan as the team’s mentor for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. The official announcement is expected on Wednesday at the RPSG Group Headquarters.
Zaheer Khan has been absent from the IPL for two years since stepping down as head of global development at Mumbai Indians. According to news agency PTI, his appointment as the mentor for LSG has been confirmed, and an official announcement is awaiting. Zaheer’s first role as the team’s mentor will be during the IPL 2025 auction.
“Zaheer has been appointed as team mentor and the unveiling will happen later today,”Sources told PTI.
Zaheer Khan will fill the role previously held by Gautam Gambhir, who left last year to rejoin his former franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, and led them to the IPL title in 2024. Gambhir is now the head coach of the Indian team.
At Mumbai Indians, Zaheer Khan initially served as the director of cricket before transitioning to head of global development. Currently, LSG is without a bowling coach following the departure of South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, who has joined Gautam Gambhir’s coaching staff with the Indian team.
It is understood that Zaheer Khan will also participate in scouting and player development programs during the off-season.
Before starting his coaching career, Zaheer played for three IPL teams: Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Daredevils. Throughout 10 seasons, he featured in 100 matches, taking 102 wickets with an economy rate of 7.58.
Zaheer Khan’s last IPL appearance was in 2017 when he captained the Delhi Daredevils before retiring from all forms of cricket. LSG currently has Justin Langer as head coach, having replaced Andy Flower before the last IPL season. Langer will continue with his assistants Lance Klusener and Adam Voges.
LSG captain KL Rahul recently met with Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of the RPSG Group.
“When you have a mega auction, you are bound to have a reset. But you try and maintain as much of the core as possible,” Sanjiv Goenka comments.
Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of the Lucknow Super Giants, was tight-lipped about his team’s retention plans and captain KL Rahul’s future with the franchise. However, he acknowledged that the upcoming mega auction will significantly impact the team “resets” in specific ways leading up to IPL 2025.
Speaking to the media in Kolkata alongside newly announced mentor Zaheer Khan, Goenka mentioned that LSG’s retention decisions will be made with a long-term perspective rather than a short-term focus.
“All decisions are medium-term and need to be thought of carefully,” he stated. “When you have a mega auction, you are bound to have a reset. But you try and maintain as much of the core as possible. The coach Justin Langer continues, [support staff] Lance Klusener and Jonty Rhodes will also be there. So it is a question of improving and going further from where you are now.”
Rahul, the LSG captain since the team’s inaugural IPL season in 2022, visited Kolkata this week and met with Goenka. While Goenka did not disclose the specifics of their discussion, he described Rahul as “family.”
“I have been meeting KL on and off regularly over the last three years,” Goenka mentioned. “Frankly, I am surprised this meeting is getting a lot of attention [in the media]. He is integral [to LSG]. He has been here since the inception. For me personally and for [my son] Shashwat [Goenka, who is also involved in running LSG], he is like family.”
Following two playoff appearances in IPL 2022 and 2023, LSG failed to make the playoffs for the first time in the 2024 season, finishing seventh due to a low net run rate. This was also the first season without mentor Gautam Gambhir, who had moved to Kolkata Knight Riders. Goenka is confident that Zaheer’s presence “will do wonders” for the squad for the upcoming season.
“Beginning of a new relationship. Zaheer has impressed me as a player, coach, and strategist,” Goenka commented. “His hunger for success is something that attracted me to bring him into the LSG franchise.”
“A couple of weeks ago, I realized he wasn’t with any cricket franchise. I called him up. We spoke. He agreed. And he’s here. It’s as short and as quick as it gets. We are very excited to have him on board.”
Zaheer, who was with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022 as director of cricket and head of global development, mentioned that he will take on a similar role at LSG. He admired the “building blocks” compiled by a “young franchise in only three years” and felt he aligned with the owners’ vision.
“Yes, it happened exactly in the same words how Mr Goenka explained. We got on a call and realized we have a similar stance on many topics about cricket,” Zaheer stated. “We discussed the direction, the culture, the brand the team wants to play. The building blocks are already in place. It’s a relatively young franchise, but it doesn’t seem like that. Reaching playoffs in this fiercely competitive league isn’t easy, and [seeing their progress] gives me confidence.”
“It is a team game, so I will be serving the team in every capacity possible, and yes, it includes bowling. If I am there in the set-up, does the team need another bowling coach?” he said with a smile. “When you see LSG, their journey is only three years but they are as comparable to the teams who have played the IPL for 17-18 years. The building blocks are in place, and we need to take them forward. Decision-making will be something we’ll work on since it is something that can differentiate teams.”
At present, LSG’s roster features Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Devdutt Padikkal, among others. Teams are anticipated to receive the IPL’s retention rules in early September. They will then determine their retention choices, with a potential deadline in late November, before the mega auction for IPL 2025.
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Top Cricket News, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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