3 key takeaways from LSG’s recent press conference featuring Sanjiv Goenka and Zaheer Khan

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise on Wednesday, August 28, arranged a press conference featuring IPL franchise's owner Sanjiv Goenka and newly appointed mentor Zaheer Khan. At the interaction with media personnel, the duo discussed various aspects related to the franchise's performance, the upcoming mega auction and a few other pertinent issues.

Zaheer steps into the shoes of Gautam Gambhir, who quit as LSG mentor last year to join his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the same role. Gambhir, of course, is now part of the Indian team as a head coach. Coming back to Zaheer, he is expected to have a key role in the LSG franchise, especially in guiding the young fast bowlers in the team.

Having made their debut in the 2022 season, Lucknow Super Giants are still finding their feet in the Indian Premier League. After reaching the playoffs in the first two seasons, they came a disappointing seventh earlier this year. As LSG prepares for the IPL 2025 edition, let's take a look at three key takeaways from the franchise's press conference featuring Goenka and Zaheer on Wednesday.

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#1 Goenka calls Rahul 'family', but remains tight-lipped on latter's future with the franchise

There has been plenty of speculation over LSG skipper KL Rahul's future with the franchise. During the IPL 2024 season, a video of team owner Goenka having an animated chat with the LSG captain went viral on social media. The two even met in Kolkata recently. At Wednesday's press conference, Goenka referred to Rahul as 'family' and commented (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):

"I have been meeting KL on and off regularly over the last three years. Frankly I am surprised this meeting is getting a lot of attention [in the media]. He is integral [to LSG]. He has been here since the inception. For me personally and for [my son] Shashwat [Goenka, who is also involved in running LSG], he is like family."

Goenka, however, did not give a straightforward answer over whether Rahul will be retained ahead of the mega auction. He, instead, pointed out that there are three months still left to make a decision on retentions. The LSG owner said (as quoted by Cricbuzz):

"As far as retention is concerned, I don't know. It's not something I'm going to discuss now. That has to be confidential. There are three months to decide on this. We don't even know what is going to be the retention policy of the BCCI. Let the BCCI announce the policy. Then we will have three months to decide. It's too early to take a call on anything like that."

Goenka, however, did bat for the continuation of the mega auction and firmly stated that it should be there.

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#2 Zaheer Khan gives a thumbs up to Impact Player rule

There has been plenty of debate over the Impact Player rule in the IPL over the last few months. Some prominent Indian cricketers, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Axar Patel, have expressed their reservations over the modification made in an attempt to make the IPL more interesting and tactics-oriented.

Speaking at LSG's press conference, the franchise's new mentor threw his weight behind the Impact Player rule and said that he is all for it. According to Zaheer, the rule has benefited young Indian players, giving them opportunities to prove themselves. The 45-year-old said (as quoted by PTI):

"It has definitely given opportunities to a lot of uncapped Indian talents. It is something you will see this in the mega auction when teams will be looking at them. That opportunity goes a long way with improving Indian cricket on the whole. The time spent in match time, it's something you cannot beat. That's the biggest plus."

On the theory that the Impact sub takes all-rounders out of the equation in the IPL, Zaheer responded:

"As far as all-rounders are concerned, right now there is no space for a half all-rounder because of the impact sub (rule). But if you are a genuine all-rounder, (then) no one can stop you. There is always going to be a value addition with the ability with bat and ball."

The Impact Player rule was also a subject of discussion during the meeting with the BCCI and IPL owners in Mumbai on July 31.

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#3 Zaheer Khan confirms that he will play a similar role at LSG to what he did at MI

Before joining Lucknow Super Giants, Zaheer was part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) from 2018 to 2022 as director of cricket and head of global development.

At the press conference, he confirmed that he will play a similar role at LSG as well, also quipping that the franchise doesn't need a separate bowling coach.

"It is a team game, so I will be serving the team in every capacity possible, and yes, it includes bowling. If I am there in the set-up, does the team need another bowling coach?" Zaheer said with a smile.

"When you see LSG, their journey is only three years but they are as comparable to the teams who have played the IPL for 17-18 years. The building blocks are in place and we need to take them forward. Decision-making will be something we'll work on, since it is something that can differentiate teams," he went on to add.

While Gambhir quit the Lucknow franchise as a mentor last season, Morne Morkel has also left his role as bowling coach to join the Indian team in the same capacity.