New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS): Former India left-arm fast-bowler Zaheer Khan is believed to be in conversation with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the mentor’s role ahead of next year’s Indian Premier League (IPL). Zaheer is currently the Global Head of Cricket Development at Mumbai Indians since September 2022. On the other hand, LSG has been without a mentor since Gautam Gambhir left them after the IPL 2023 season and has now lost the services of Morne Morkel, who is all set to join the India men’s team as bowling coach.

Incidentally, Gambhir took over as the head coach of the Indian team in July this year, after being the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders team winning the IPL 2024 title. According to a report in Cricbuzz, Zaheer, a member of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team, is being considered for the role that Gambhir held and could also provide his expertise to the Lucknow Super Giants bowlers.

“He will also be a key interlocutor, rather a go-between, for players and the management of the franchise, the owner of which is known to be very passionate about the game. Zaheer Khan's potential role with the Indian team did not materialise, as Morkel was preferred by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), unmistakably on the recommendation of Gambhir,” said the report.

In the Lucknow Super Giants' current coaching setup, there is head coach Justin Langer alongside Adam Voges, Lance Klusener, Jonty Rhodes, Sridharan Sriram and Pravin Tambe. The report added there is also talk of another prominent coach joining the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise, but the details of it are still not fully clear.

LSG was bought by Goenka in 2022 for INR 7090 crore and have their home ground at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The side reached the playoffs in IPL 2022 and 2023 seasons before bowing out of competition in the eliminator clashes twice. LSG missed out on a playoff spot in IPL 2024 due to a negative Net Run Rate (NRR), leading to them finishing in seventh place in the points table.