Gautam Gambhir's 2011 World Cup-winning teammate joins Lucknow Super Giants as mentor ahead of IPL 2025

The Lucknow Super Giants have entered a new era with the appointment of former World Cup winner and Indian pacer Zaheer Khan as the team mentor for the upcoming 2025 season of the IPL.

LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka recently held a press conference to discuss the future of the franchise, and one of his key announcements was the addition of Zaheer to the LSG family.

Zaheer will be stepping into the role left vacant by former Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir, who departed to rejoin the Kolkata Knight Riders before the IPL 2024 season.

This is not Zaheer's first foray into managerial and coaching roles. He previously served with the Mumbai Indians franchise from 2018 to 2022, first as director of cricket and later as head of global development. Additionally, Zaheer has played for three IPL teams - Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Daredevils.

Zaheer, Lucknow ke dil mein aap bohot pehle se ho  pic.twitter.com/S5S3YHUSX0

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) August 28, 2024

Zaheer will be working alongside LSG head coach Justin Langer, who is expected to continue in his role, with Lance Klusener and Adam Voges serving as his assistants.

“I will make sure that the process that is required to LSG the next level is there. The next season is going to be a special one,” stated an ecstatic Zaheer at the press conference in Kolkata, as per RevSportz.

One outstanding issue that remains for Goenka to address is the future of KL Rahul with the franchise. According to a report in Cricbuzz on Monday (August 26), Rahul, who was acquired by the Lucknow-based franchise for Rs 17 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, had a meeting with LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka in the franchise's Kolkata office.

The hour-long meeting between the two focused on the team composition for the upcoming season of the lucrative league and the potential retention of Rahul. While there is no confirmation that LSG will retain Rahul, the fact that the owner met with him could suggest a possibility.

During a press conference, Goenka was cautious in discussing KL Rahul's future with the Lucknow franchise, indicating a desire to avoid speculation.

“I don’t want to comment on speculation. All I will say is that KL Rahul is family,” Goenka stated as per reports from RevSportz.

Also read| LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka finally breaks silence on KL Rahul's future at IPL franchise