New Delhi: It has only been a couple of days since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 ended and it seems the post-season effects have already started taking place. Many franchises are expected to bring in some changes to their personnel and coaching staff ahead of the next season, and it is reported that the most significant change could be in the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team.
The Rishabh Pant-led side finished seventh on the points table with just six wins from 14 games, and this has left the franchise management unimpressed. According to a report in Cricbuzz, questions have been raised about the future of certain prominent members of the LSG coaching staff, who currently operate under the mentorship of former India pacer Zaheer Khan.
46-year-old Zaheer is at the centre of facing the heat as the report claims to have learned that when Zaheer was roped in as a mentor before the start of last year’s auction, he was brought in with only a one-year contract. It was to be renewed after the conclusion of IPL 2025, but sources reveal it will be a surprise if LSG actually continues with him.
Zaheer was roped in to share the workload of head coach Justin Langer, whose contract is also up for renewal. While it remains unclear how well the two worked alongside each other during the season, there is reportedly a dissatisfaction within the squad and the management. The noise around the contract is currently about Zaheer and not Langer, as of now.
Behtar kal ki talash khatam nhi hogi 🤗💙 pic.twitter.com/ASiO2aGTNA
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) May 28, 2025
Owner Sanjeev Goenka
Famed LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka, who is quite passionate about cricket and the prospects of IPL, has not seen his team reach the play-offs for the last two seasons. Although Zaheer is not answerable for the flop 2024 season, the management is not even happy with how the team fares this season. The report claims that Zaheer had a strong professional rapport with skipper Rishabh Pant, who himself was a disappointment with the bat.
Pant’s bat only fired 269 runs in 14 games, including a century and a fifty, but failed to make any significant contributions in the rest 12 games. It is understood that the team mentor cannot be held accountable for the captain’s underwhelming performance, as it was Zaheer who helped the team in shaping its vision and approach. The coach-captain duo had spoken about playing fearless cricket in IPL 2025, but whatever the approach was, it has clearly not yielded any expected result.
Under the mentorship of Zaheer Khan, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) finished seventh on the IPL 2025 points table. As per a report, the team management isn’t impressed and his contract renewal is at stake. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
