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Zaheer Khan has parted ways with the Lucknow Super Giants. He informed the franchise of his decision on Thursday. This move comes ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026, with LSG likely to appoint a new mentor, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Zaheer's departure stems from a mismatch between his vision for the franchise and that of head coach Justin Langer and owner Sanjeev Goenka. Despite maintaining a strong relationship with Captain Rishabh Pant, Zaheer struggled with the team's decision-making process. Zaheer had joined LSG in August 2024, filling the vacancy left by Gautam Gambhir's exit after IPL 2023. Gambhir had taken up the mentor role at Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2024 and has since become head coach of the India men's team. Before that, Zaheer was with the Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022. He had agreed to a two-year contract with LSG and had taken charge of scouting, planning and strategy. After making the playoffs in their first two seasons (2022 and 2023), LSG struggled to replicate that success in the last two years. In IPL 2025, they finished seventh with six wins from 14 games. The season was marked by a stark contrast between the first and second halves: LSG won five of their first eight matches but managed just one win in their final six games. Their home record at the Ekana Stadium was also disappointing, with only two wins from eight matches. LSG had made the headline at the mega auction when they bought Pant for INR 27 crore (USD 3.2 million approx.), making him the most expensive player ever in the IPL. The team was built around him, but Zaheer quickly put in place the building blocks he felt could become stronger every season. Despite there being a lot of chatter about Pant to open, Zaheer spoke to the talismanic keeper-batter early on and told him that the better strategy would be to have Mitchell Marsh open with Aiden Markram. That strategy, Zaheer impressed on both Pant and the leadership group, would reduce the burden on their best batter, Nicholas Pooran, who was anointed as No. 3. After acquiring Rishabh Pant for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore, LSG built their team around him. However, Khan quickly assessed the squad and implemented a strategy to optimise their lineup. Despite speculation about Pant opening the batting, Zaheer discussed an alternative approach with him, suggesting Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram bat at the top, followed by Nicholas Pooran at No. 3. This plan aimed to reduce the burden on Pooran and was reportedly well-received by Pant and the team's leadership. (ANI)
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