NEW DELHI:
Indian Premier League
franchise
Lucknow Super Giants
is in talks with pace great
Zaheer Khan
for the mentor role, a Cricbuzz report said on Monday.
The franchise has been without a mentor since
Gautam Gambhir
left for Kolkata in 2023. Bowling coach Morne Morkel has now also left Lucknow to be Team India bowling coach.
If Lucknow's negotiations turn out to be successful with Zaheer, the 45-year-old will fulfill the void created the the departures of Gambhir and Morkel.
In the report, Cricbuzz stated that sources within the
IPL
indicate that Zaheer is being considered for the role previously held by Gambhir.
Zaheer was earlier viewed as a candidate for the bowling coach position under Gambhir's new set-up in Team India, particularly to mentor young and emerging pacers.
However, Zaheer's appointment could not go through as Morkel was preferred by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), reportedly on Gambhir's recommendation.
During his playing career, Zaheer was recognized for his role in mentoring young fast bowlers within the Indian team.
If
LSG
manage to rope in Zaheer, he will be collaborating with head coach Justin Langer and a robust coaching team, including Adam Voges, Lance Klusener, and Jonty Rhodes.
The report also indicated about another notable coach's addition in the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise, though details weren't clear.
LSG, which came into existence in 2022 -- bought for Rs 7090 crore -- reached the play-offs in their first two seasons. However, they missed out on a top-four spot in the 2023 edition due to an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR).
Meanwhile, the BCCI is expected to announce the retention rules by the month’s end, Cricbuzz said in its report. Teams are projected to be allowed around six retentions, including the Right to Match (RTM) option. Despite calls from some franchises to discontinue the Big Auction, the BCCI plans to retain it for now.
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