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On Wednesday (August 28), Sanjiv Goenka, owner of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), announced the appointment of former Indian fast-bowling great Zaheer Khan as the team’s new mentor for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Khan’s arrival is set to bolster the Super Giants’ strategy following their narrow miss of a playoff spot in the last IPL season. The campaign’s dramatic end was marked by rumors of a rift between Goenka and captain KL Rahul, further fueled by Goenka’s visible frustration during a post-match interaction.
Ongoing speculations regarding IPL 2025 mega auction
With the IPL mega auction on the horizon, speculation is rife about potential player retentions and the future of team compositions. Rahul’s future with LSG remains uncertain, adding to the ongoing discussions. In addition, Rohit Sharma, the captain of India’s T20 World Cup 2024-winning team, has been reportedly linked with a move to LSG. Recent controversy over Rohit’s removal as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain in favour of Hardik Pandya has spurred widespread speculation. Among these rumors is a particularly bold claim that LSG are preparing a budget of INR 50 crore to acquire Rohit.
Also READ: IPL 2025 Auction: 4 Players LSG can retain as per the current ‘3+1’ rule
Sanjeev Goenka on rumors about Rohit Sharma
In a recent interview with SportsTak, Goenka addressed the rumor about reserving a massive sum for Rohit, dismissing it as implausible. He also stressed the impracticality of dedicating such a large portion of the budget to a single player, highlighting the importance of building a balanced team.
“Do you know if Rohit Sharma is coming into the auction? No one knows. This is all unnecessary. Whether Mumbai Indians release Rohit Sharma or not. Whether Rohit Sharma comes into the auction or not. Even if he comes, if you spend 50% of your purse on one player, then how will you buy the other 22 players. Everyone wants the best captain and players. But this is like if wishes were horses. It is not about wanting. It is what you have, what is available, and what you can do from that. I can wish we have this and that, but every franchise will want that. You will not get everything,” Goenka said.
Uncertainty surrounds player retention and captaincy
Regarding player retention and captaincy decisions, Goenka revealed that the franchise is waiting for the BCCI’s official guidelines before making any final decisions. “We have all of September, October and November to decide that. Let the policies be out. We have not even thought about the team going forward, whether retention will be three-four-five or six, we have no clue,” Goenka concluded, indicating that planning is still underway.
