Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka addressed franchise’s captain in the IPL, KL Rahul as a family member. However, Goenka preferred to remain silent about the team’s plans to retain the cricketer ahead of the IPL 2024 mega-auction. Goenka was present at the franchise’s media conference in Kolkata alongside their newly-unveiled mentor Zaheer Khan.
During the conference, the industrialist preferred silence on the matters of Rahul’s future, and admitted that the forthcoming auction will come with some “resets” in some aspects. He also said that the decision about LSG’s retentions won’t be made with a short-term view. He said, “All decisions are medium-term and need to be thought of carefully. When you have a mega auction you are bound to have a reset. But you try to maintain as much of the core as possible.”
Sanjiv Goenka addresses KL Rahul as family member
While Goenka didn’t talk about the franchise’s retention plans, he called the Indian cricketer “family”. The 32-year-old cricketer has been the captain of the side since 2022, since the team made their debut in the league. He said, “I have been meeting KL on and off regularly over the last three years. Frankly I am surprised this meeting is getting a lot of attention. He is integral. He has been here since the inception. For me personally and for Shashwat, he is like family.”
Talking about signing former India cricketer Zaheer Khan as their new mentor, Goenka said, Beginning of a new relationship. Zaheer has impressed me as a player, coach and strategist. His hunger for success is something that attracted me to bring him into the LSG franchise.”