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Zaheer Khan has decided to leave his position as team mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026. Zaheer Khan took the key call just one year after he took the job. According to ESPNcricinfo, Zaheer informed the franchise of his decision on Thursday, September 18.
Zaheer Khan resigns as LSG mentor
Reportedly, the main reason for his departure was a misalignment in vision between him, head coach Justin Langer, and LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka. While Zaheer maintains a strong relationship with captain Rishabh Pant, he was reportedly affected by the cluttered thinking within the team's management. This internal friction is believed to have contributed to LSG's slide in the second half of the IPL 2025 season.
Zaheer took on the role of mentor for LSG after Gautam Gambhir stepped down following the 2023 IPL season. In addition to his mentorship duties, the former India fast bowler also served as the team's bowling coach after Morne Morkel's departure to join Gambhir with the India men's cricket team. Before joining LSG, Zaheer was with the Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022, where he first served as the Director of Cricket and later became the head of global development.
The LSG team had a forgettable IPL 2025 season under captain Rishabh Pant. Although there were flashes of brilliance, consistency was a major challenge for the squad. The franchise has already started to address these issues, first by bringing in Bharat Arun as the new bowling coach and now with Zaheer Khan's departure.
In his sole season as team mentor, Zaheer spearheaded a significant tactical shift in LSG batting lineup and team dynamics. This began at the mega auction, where LSG made a bold statement by signing Rishabh Pant for a record-breaking INR 27 crore. While the plan was to build the team's core around Pant, the captain ultimately failed to meet expectations. Contrary to public opinion that Pant would open the innings, Zaheer took a different approach. In a move that initially raised eyebrows but proved successful, he convinced the leadership team to have Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh open with South Africa's Aiden Markram. This strategy was designed to reduce pressure on Nicholas Pooran, the team's most explosive batsman, who was moved to the number three position to anchor the innings.
Despite a promising start where they won five of their first eight matches, LSG's performance dropped off significantly in the second half of the tournament. The team managed just one win in their final six games.
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