Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have officially appointed Zaheer Khan as their mentor ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Negotiations for this role had been ongoing, with Cricpulse first reporting the development on August 19.
In his new capacity, Zaheer will collaborate closely with head coach Justin Langer and the coaching team, which includes Lance Klusener, Adam Voges, and Jonty Rhodes.
“I didn’t know he was no longer with Mumbai Indians until recently.
I reached out to him immediately—it’s as simple as that,” LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka said during the mentor’s unveiling at the RPSG office in Kolkata on Wednesday.
“He is strategically astute, commands respect within the cricketing community, and has a clear vision.”
Last season, LSG were without a mentor following Gautam Gambhir’s departure to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Notably, it was the first season since their inception that they failed to qualify for the Play-Offs.
Goenka acknowledged that one of the driving factors behind recruiting a mentor like Zaheer was the team’s disappointing performance last season.
“We didn’t perform well.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it—we ‘almost’ made it, but in this game, you’re either in or you’re out.
‘Almost’ isn’t good enough.”
The position of bowling coach remains vacant at LSG after Morne Morkel’s departure to the Indian team, and it’s unclear whether Zaheer will take on this role.
Regardless, his expertise in bowling is expected to be invaluable, and as previously reported, he will play a crucial role as an interlocutor, acting as a bridge between the players and the franchise management.
Before joining LSG, Zaheer was with the Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022, first as the Director of Cricket and later as the Head of Global Development.
The former India pacer had an illustrious career, featuring in 92 Tests, 200 ODIs, and 17 T20Is, along with 100 IPL matches, representing Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Royal Challengers Bengaluru), and Mumbai Indians.
His last IPL appearance was in 2017.
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