Mentor Zaheer Khan Parts Ways With LSG Over Team Vision Differences: Reports

Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who had joined Lucknow Super Giants as a mentor before the IPL 2025 mega auction, has now left the team. According to ESPN Cricinfo, Zaheer told the Lucknow franchise, owned by Sajiv Goenka, about his decision on Thursday, September 18.

According to reports, Zaheer Khan decided to leave LSG after just one season because “his vision for the team didn’t match with head coach Justin Langer and owner Sanjeev Goenka.” It is said that Zaheer shares a good bond with LSG captain Rishabh Pant, but “he was frustrated by the confused thinking in the team, which contributed to LSG dropping down the points table in the second half of IPL 2025.”

After winning five of their first eight games in 2025, LSG's performance deteriorated and they were only able to win one of their final six games. Overall, they finished seventh with six wins out of 14. Their home ground, Ekana Stadium, didn’t bring much luck either they played eight games there but won only two. After making the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons in 2022 and 2023 missing out on the knockouts this time was a big disappointment.

Rishabh Pant: The Most Expensive IPL Player

LSG made big news at last year’s mega auction when they bought Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore (around USD 3.2 million), making him the most expensive player in IPL history. The team was planned around him, but coach Zaheer knew they needed to build a strong foundation for long-term success. Even though many were talking about Pant opening the batting, Zaheer spoke to him early and suggested a better plan: let Mitchell Marsh open with Aiden Markram. This, Zaheer explained to Pant and the leadership group, would take some pressure off their best batter, Nicholas Pooran, who bats at No. 3.

Giving the batters clear roles let them play freely and perform consistently. Markram had never opened in the IPL before, and Marsh, despite over ten years in the league, hadn’t made a big mark earlier. The plan paid off well Marsh scored 627 runs at a strike rate of 163.7, Pooran made 524 at 196.25 and Markram contributed 445 runs.

Zaheer Khan's Timeline and Key Events with Lucknow Super Giants (Aug 2024 – Sep 2025)

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