Former India pacer Zaheer Khan has reportedly stepped down from his role as mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). The former cricketer shared his decision with the Sanjiv Goenka-owned team on Thursday, September 18, according to an ESPN Cricinfo report.
Zaheer had joined the Lucknow Super Giants as a mentor ahead of IPL 2025. He replaced Gautam Gambhir, who left to take up the same role with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before IPL 2024. Gambhir was part of the KKR support staff when they clinched the IPL title that season under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy.
Zaheer Khan Parts Ways with Lucknow Super Giants Ahead of IPL 2026
According to ESPN Cricinfo, Zaheer Khan parted ways with the Lucknow Super Giants due to differences in vision with head coach Justin Langer and team owner Sanjiv Goenka. Disagreements and a tense dressing room environment during the 2025 season forced him to leave.
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“The primary reason for Zaheer quitting is that his vision for the franchise did not align with that of head coach Justin Langer and team owner Sanjeev Goenka,” the report read.
Khan signed a two-year contract with the Lucknow Super Giants in August 2024, taking charge of scouting, strategy, and overall team planning. Before joining LSG, he had worked with the Mumbai Indians (MI) from 2018 to 2022.
LSG reached the playoffs in their first two seasons (2022 and 2023), but the franchise struggled to maintain the same level of success in the subsequent years.
Zaheer Khan Maintains Strong Relationship with Captain Rishabh Pant
The report added that the 46-year-old has a good relationship with Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant despite differences with the coaching staff and owner. However, the team’s poor performances during the latter half of IPL 2025 influenced his decision to step down.
“While Zaheer’s relationship with captain Rishabh Pant remained strong, he was affected by the thought process that played a role in LSG sliding down the points table in the second half of IPL 2025,” the report added.
LSG, led by Rishabh Pant, won six of their 14 league-stage matches in IPL 2025, finishing seventh with 12 points. Notably, they won five of their first eight games but managed only one victory in their final six fixtures. The team recorded just two wins out of eight matches at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Zaheer Khan Sent Rishabh Pant Down the Order in IPL 2025
Lucknow Super Giants made headlines at the IPL mega auction by signing Rishabh Pant for a record Rs 27 crore. Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history. Zaheer Khan backed a strategy to strengthen the squad and ensure long-term growth.
There were discussions about Pant opening the batting, but Zaheer advised him to move down the order. Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram opened the innings for the Super Giants, while Nicholas Pooran batted at No. 3.
The decision proved effective as Marsh scored 627 runs at an average of 48.23 with a strike rate of 163.70. Pooran smashed 524 runs at a strike rate of 196.25, while Markram amassed 445 runs at a strike rate of 148.82.
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