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Zaheer was signed by Lucknow Super Giants as mentor ahead of IPL 2025 mega auctions.
LSG to part ways with Zaheer Khan. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who was associated with Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025 as a mentor, is likely to part ways with the franchise. According to a report in Cricbuzz on Wednesday (June 4), Zaheer is facing the heat of LSG’s poor show in IPL 2025. The Lucknow-based franchise could only manage to win six out of 14 league matches in IPL 2025 and, with 12 points, finished 7th in the points table.
It has been reported that Zaheer, who was roped in as a mentor ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auctions, was only given a one-year contract, and that contract has to be renewed. According to sources, “It will be a surprise if he is actually continued.”
“Zaheer was brought in to work alongside head coach Justin Langer, whose contract is also up for renewal. While it’s unclear how well the two coordinated during the season, there appears to be a sense of dissatisfaction within the squad and the management. The buzz at this stage suggests that the spotlight is more on Zaheer than on Langer,” the Cricbuzz report read.
“The LSG franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka is known to be passionate about cricket and the IPL prospects, and for the last two seasons the team has not managed to make the play-offs. Though Zaheer cannot be answerable for the 2024 season, the management is not too happy with the way the team performed this season,” it added.
It is understood that Zaheer, who has played for MI, RCB and DC in the IPL as a player and also captained the Delhi Capitals, shares a strong professional rapport with LSG captain Rishabh Pant.
“While the team mentor cannot be held responsible for the captain’s underwhelming performance, it was Zaheer who helped shape the team’s vision and approach. Both he and Pant had spoken about playing a fearless brand of cricket this season. But whatever the intended approach, it clearly did not yield expected results.”
LSG signed Pant for Rs 27 crore in the mega auction last year, but the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter failed to impress with his captaincy as well as his batting in IPL 2025. He scored one century and one fifty, but on both occasions his team suffered a heartbreaking defeat.
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