Sanjeev Goenka considers KL Rahul as part of his family, but he hasn’t disclosed whether the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman will be retained for the next three seasons. In an exclusive conversation on Wednesday, Goenka said, “As far as I’m concerned, I consider him part of my family. He knows this too.”
KL Rahul captained the Lucknow Super Giants for three years, but ever since their public discussion after the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad last season, there has been a lot of debate about his equation with the team. In that match, LSG faced a crushing defeat by 10 wickets.
“He (KL Rahul) has been with Lucknow Super Giants since the beginning. He led us for three years. I’ve said this before, and I have no hesitation in saying that he wanted to win. KL is an important part of the Super Giants family. As far as retention is concerned, I don’t know. This isn’t something I’m going to discuss right now. It has to remain confidential. There are three months to make a decision on this.”
Speculations are Rife About Whether Rahul Will Continue as Captain
When asked directly about KL Rahul’s future as captain, Goenka declined to give a straightforward answer and quickly responded, “What’s your opinion?” Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been in talks with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners and is expected to come up with a retention policy soon. Does LSG have any stance on this matter? Goenka refused to clarify the franchise’s position, stating, “We don’t even know what BCCI’s retention policy will be. Let BCCI announce the policy first. Then we’ll have three months to make a decision. It would be premature to make any decision on such matters right now.”
However, he did make it clear that he is in favor of continuing with the mega-auction. “Yes, it should happen.”
Discussing his expectations from the new mentor, Zaheer Khan, Goenka said, “We want to make winning a habit, to make victory second nature. For Zaheer, both during his playing career and his post-playing career, winning has been a way of life. That’s what we want, and that’s what we hope to achieve. So, when I found out he was no longer with Mumbai Indians, I reached out to him. It was as simple as that.”
Zaheer Khan Replaces Gautam Gambhir as LSG Mentor
Zaheer Khan has taken over the role of mentor from Gautam Gambhir, who guided the team in its first two seasons when LSG made it to the playoffs. However, they failed to reach the final four in the third season. Goenka attributed the poor results to the absence of a mentor.
“We all learn from our mistakes. I believe it’s not just about strategic guidance and advice from a mentor, but also about the input they provide. It’s about making the players feel comfortable in their own skin. When they step out on the field, they express themselves with freedom and clarity. I think that’s where we felt we missed something last year.
“We suffered a heavy loss to Hyderabad, then lost a game to Delhi that we could have won. In the match against Gujarat, we should have won with a better margin. We took it to the 20th over. These are situations where we can only blame ourselves. But we’re here to improve. And we understand that in sports, you don’t win every year. You can’t win every year, and you can’t win every game. But as long as there’s a winning attitude and a commitment to learn from losses and mistakes, I’m satisfied.”
Goenka bought the franchise in 2022 for ₹7,090 crores, making LSG the most expensive team in the IPL. He has no regrets about such a massive investment. “I’m very happy, I’m delighted, and I’m excited. I believe the valuation is increasing. We need to improve our performance.”