Zaheer Khan, a former Indian left-arm fast-bowler, was named the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coach during a ceremony held on Wednesday at the RPSG Group Headquarters in Kolkata.
Zaheer takes over as mentor from Gautam Gambhir, who joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and led them to their third IPL triumph. In July, Gambhir succeeded Rahul Dravid as head coach of India’s men’s cricket team.
Zaheer, 45, will join a coaching group that comprises head coach Justin Langer and assistants Lance Klusener and Adam Voges.
LSG is currently without a bowling coach following Morne Morkel’s departure to join the Indian team in the same capacity.
Zaheer, a member of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team, brings extensive experience both as a player and a mentor. He played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Delhi Capitals, amassing 100 matches and 102 wickets with an economy rate of 7.58 during his IPL career.
Reports suggest Zaheer will also be heading the franchise’s talent development programme, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Previously, Zaheer was associated with the Mumbai Indians franchise from 2018 to 2022, serving first as director of cricket and then head of global development.
During the IPL 2023 and 2024 seasons, Zaheer was part of the commentary team for JioCinema’s digital broadcasts.
LSG, owned by Sanjiv Goenka since 2022 for INR 7090 crore, plays its home matches at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The team reached the playoffs in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons but exited during the eliminator matches. In IPL 2024, LSG missed the playoffs due to a negative Net Run Rate (NRR) and finished seventh in the points table.
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Source: TOI
