Zaheer Khan has left Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of IPL 2026, and the franchise is now on the hunt for a new mentor. The former Indian pacer shared his decision with the team on Thursday, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. This big change in the IPL team management comes after some key differences in vision.
Zaheer joined LSG in August 2024 to fill the mentor role left vacant by Gautam Gambhir, who moved on after IPL 2023. Gambhir then guided Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 and now serves as head coach for the Indian men’s cricket team. Before LSG, Zaheer spent time with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022, where he shaped their scouting, planning, and strategy. He signed a two-year deal with LSG to do the same.
The split boils down to clashing ideas between Zaheer and head coach Justin Langer, plus owner Sanjeev Goenka. Even though Zaheer got along well with captain Rishabh Pant, he found the team’s decision-making process tough to navigate.
LSG kicked off strong, reaching the IPL playoffs in their first two seasons—2022 and 2023. But things went downhill after that. In IPL 2025, they finished seventh with just six wins from 14 matches. The season had a rough split: they grabbed five victories in the first eight games but only one in the last six. Their home ground, Ekana Stadium, didn’t help much either, with only two wins out of eight there.
The IPL 2025 mega auction made headlines when LSG shelled out a record Rs 27 crore (about USD 3.2 million) for Rishabh Pant, turning him into the most expensive player in IPL history. The team built everything around the star wicketkeeper-batter. Zaheer wasted no time assessing the squad and laying out a smart batting strategy to build on season by season.
There was buzz about Pant opening the innings, but Zaheer chatted with him early and suggested a better plan: Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram at the top, with Nicholas Pooran slotted at No. 3. This setup, Zaheer explained to Pant and the leadership, would ease the load on Pooran, their key middle-order hitter. Pant and the team seemed on board with the idea.
As LSG gears up for changes, fans are watching closely to see how this shake-up affects their IPL fortunes.
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