IPL 2025: 'Muskuraiye, Hum ab Lucknow mein Hain' - Zaheer Khan makes Royal arrival as LSG Mentor

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Lucknow Super Giants have roped in Zaheer Khan as mentor for the upcoming IPL season, as announced by the franchise on Wednesday (August 28).

The former India pacer has joined the LSG side and was presented at a press conference in Kolkata.

Zaheer Khan will now take over the mentorship for LSG, which was left void as Gautam Gambhir left for Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2024. The left-arm pacer has a vast of experience of coaching at Mumbai Indians, and will be a valuable addition to the franchise.

Zaheer Khan's appointment is expected to bring significant improvements to LSG's bowling department. Their former bowling coach Morne Morkel has recently joined the Indian team as bowling coach, and Khan is going to take the resonsibilities.

Franchise owner Sanjeev Goenka expressed confidence in Zaheer's ability to oversee player development during the press conference announcing his appointment.

"Zaheer will watch over the overall developments of the players," Goenka stated on Wednesday.

Zaheer Khan retired from international cricket in 2015 but continued to contribute to cricket through coaching roles. His coaching style is known for its focus on mentoring young bowlers, much like he did during his playing days. The India pacer was annunced by LSG on social media with a special video.

'Muskuraiye, Hum ab Lucknow mein hain (Smile, Because I am here now in Lucknow)', Zaheer says in the announcement video.

It will be a massive challenge for Zaheer Khan to develop Lucknow's young bowling brigade, which has the likes of Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan and others. LSG qualified for the playoffs in their first two seasons, but failed to make it in 2024. Also regarding the future of their captain KL Rahul, it still remains a mystery. Rahul met with Goenka days ago in Kolkata and on Wednesday, the LSG owner said that Rahul is a part of the LSG family, without confirming the player's status at the franchise.