Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka has made a big revelation regarding Australian legend Justin Langer’s future with the franchise as head coach.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have appointed former Australian opener Justin Langer as the head coach after IPL 2023. They did not renew Andy Flower’s contract and decided to bring in Langer with an aim to take another step forward after finishing in the top 4 in consecutive seasons.

However, things did not go well for the franchise as, for the first time, they failed to secure a playoff spot. In the 2024 Indian Premier League, Lucknow Super Giants finished at the seventh position in the table and played very poor cricket.

Following the team’s poor season, rumours circulated that Justin Langer might be relieved of his duties after one season. And now Sanjiv Goenka has broken his silence on the matter.

Speaking to the media, Goenka said Langer will continue in charge along with assistant coach Lance Klusener and fielding coach Jonty Rhodes.

“It’s not clear which way things are going to go. Of course, the coach (Justin Langer) is still there, Lance Klusener (assistant coach) and Jonty Rhodes (field coach) are still there.

“We are delighted for Morne Morkel and Gautam Gambhir and are very happy that they have joined the national team,” Goenka was quoted as saying by India Today.

Zaheer Khan to join Justin Langer in IPL 2025

Justin Langer will have a new member in his support squad in IPL 2025 as legendary India spinner Zaheer Khan has been appointed as the team’s new mentor. The mentor’s post was vacant since Gautam Gambhir left for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.

It is noteworthy that Zaheer will have a broader profile at Lucknow Super Giants as, in addition to his mentoring role, he will also work on talent scouting and talent development programme.

Speaking about Zaheer’s joining the Lucknow Super Giants, passionate LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka said that he was highly impressed by Zaheer as a player and a coach. Citing Zaheer’s hunger for success as the reason for his appointment, Goenka said that as soon as he came to know that Zaheer did not have any IPL job on his plate, he decided to approach the Indian great.

“It’s the start of a new relationship. Zaheer has impressed me as a player, coach and strategist,” Goenka said. “His hunger for success is something that attracted me to bring him into the LSG franchise.

“A couple of weeks ago I realised he wasn’t in any cricket franchise. I called him. We talked. He agreed. And here he is. It’s as short and quick as it can be. We’re very excited to have him on board.”

Meanwhile, during the same interaction with the media, Sanjiv Goenka remained silent on captain KL Rahul’s future with the team.

He further labelled the batsman as an integral part of the Lucknow Super Giants family but did not reveal whether the batsman will be retained or released ahead of the mega Indian Premier League 2025 auction.