The changes at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) aren’t going to stop anytime soon. The Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise has been making alterations in the management camp, with the inclusions of Kane Williamson and Bharat Arun. However, the biggest development has come in that LSG are now looking at the possibility of bringing in Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvraj Singh in talks with LSG
Yes, you read that right. InsideSport has learnt that the former two-time World Cup winner has been in talks with the franchise, who is eyeing making him the new head coach of the side. Apparently, Langer hasn’t had that connection with the local LSG players and the ownership wants an Indian to oversee the duty. While the talks between Yuvraj and LSG are ongoing, it could be one of the biggest swoops in terms of coaching.
Yuvraj, although not part of any professional team, has been working behind the scenes with upcoming talents. His work with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma is well-documented, as the two Punjabi cricketers are now two of the best batting talents not just in the country but in the world. Also, Yuvraj has now been nurturing the likes of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh too, two more extremely talented openers from North of India.
This is not the first time Yuvraj Singh has been linked to an IPL team. Last season, there was a huge possibility that the Gujarat Titans (GT) might part ways with Ashish Nehra. Nehra’s good friend Yuvraj was touted to replace him at GT. Then, reports also emerged that the Delhi Capitals (DC) have all but swooped in Yuvraj as a replacement of Ricky Ponting. However, as it turned out, Hemang Badani was the one who coached DC this year.
Changes at Lucknow Super Giants
LSG, who have been part of the IPL since 2022, haven’t seen much success. They qualified for knockouts in their first two seasons but finished seventh in their next two. Hence, there have been many changes in coaching staff in these four years. First there were Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel. Then, Langer joined in ahead of IPL 2024 but hasn’t been influential. According to reports, he failed to build a rapport with Indian players as it was Zaheer Khan who handled the day-to-day duties.
Having said that, LSG parted ways with mentor Zaheer Khan after just one season. Then came the signing of Bharat Arun as a bowling coach who was previously with Team India and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Meanwhile, Carl Crowe has joined the LSG team as their spin bowling coach, bringing his valuable experience from his previous stint with KKR.
With Kane Williamson also stepping in as a strategic advisor, the Rishabh Pant-led side looks stacked with experience and cricketing brains. The coaching setup is solid, no doubt, but Lucknow’s real test will be handling their all-Indian pace unit. Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Akash Deep, and Avesh Khan all battled injuries last season, a major reason their campaign went off track. Sure, Digvesh Rathi and Prince Yadav were pleasant surprises, but the batting still leaned too heavily on the overseas trio of Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran.
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