Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka announced the appointment of Zaheer Khan as the new mentor of the franchise. The Lucknow-based franchise didn’t make it to the playoffs in the 17th season, and there were reports of a fallout between Sanjiv and captain KL Rahul.
He was seen scolding the Indian batter after the team’s crushing defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Speculation has been rife that KL Rahul would leave the franchise, but the meeting between the owner and the batter tells a different story. There is also a possibility of Rohit Sharma leaving the Mumbai Indians after a few challenging months before the IPL 2024, with MI sacking the veteran as captain and replacing him with Hardik Pandya.
There are reports that Lucknow Super Giants will keep a budget of INR 50 crore to hire Rohit. Goenka was asked about it by Sports Tak.
Although Sanjiv admitted that Rohit would benefit any team, he clarified that reserving such a significant amount for one player was unrealistic.
“Is Rohit Sharma coming to the auction table? This is all unnecessary. It will depend on Mumbai Indians. If Rohit comes to the auction, you can’t put your 50 percent purse for just one player. You wil not be able to buy other good players,” he said.
“Every franchise wants to have good players and a good captain. However, it doesn’t work in that way. You have to see what is available and what you can do with it.”
The LSG owner called KL Rahul a family. “I don’t know why our recent meeting was given attention. We have been meeting for the last three years. We haven’t decided on retentions yet as the BCCI yet to reveal the rules.
“KL Rahul is a family and will always remain. He is an integral part of the franchise since inception.”