Former India opener and Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) captain Gautam Gambhir has been appointed team mentor of the new Lucknow franchise ahead of IPL 2022.
Confirming the news, Lucknow team owner Sanjiv Goenka said: “Gautam has an impeccable career record. I respect his cricketing mind and look forward to working with him.”
Gambhir’s signing is the second major one for the RPSG Group as they roped in former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as head coach, making it official on Friday.
On his appointment, Gambhir said: “Thanks a lot to Dr Goenka and the RPSG Group for presenting me this wonderful opportunity in their setup.
“The fire to win a contest still burns bright inside me, the desire to leave a winner’s legacy still kicks me 24×7. I will not be contesting for a dressing room but for the spirit and soul of Uttar Pradesh.”
Along with Gambhir, his ex-Delhi and KKR teammate Vijay Dahiya is also expected to join the Lucknow franchise – as assistant coach. Dahiya is currently the head coach of Uttar Pradesh state team.
The Goenka-led RPSG Group had bid Rs 7090 crore to own the Lucknow franchise. Goenka was previously also an owner of the IPL team with Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), which had been part of the cash-rich league for two years (2016-2017) when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) got banned for their involvement in the spot-fixing saga.
