On Wednesday, Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka announced the appointment of former Indian fast-bowling legend Zaheer Khan as the team's new mentor. The Super Giants narrowly missed out on a playoff spot in the previous IPL season, with their campaign ending on a sour note amid reports of a fallout between Goenka and captain KL Rahul. An on-field conversation between the two, where Goenka appeared visibly frustrated after a loss, fueled rumours of internal discord.

Speculation has been rife in recent weeks about potential retentions and the upcoming mega auction, and while KL Rahul's future with the franchise remains uncertain, another high-profile name linked with a move is India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma. The Mumbai Indians stalwart has had a tumultuous few months before the IPL, with MI controversially replacing him as captain with Hardik Pandya. The decision sparked significant backlash, both on social media and in the stadiums.

Among the swirling rumours was one particularly sensational report claiming that Lucknow Super Giants had set aside a budget of INR 50 crore to acquire Rohit. The rumour gained widespread attention, mainly due to its perceived absurdity. Goenka, when asked about it during an interview with SportsTak, couldn't help but pass a chuckle at the suggestion.

While Goenka admitted that any team would benefit from having a captain and player of Rohit Sharma’s calibre, he clarified that reserving such an enormous sum for a single player was unrealistic, especially when the franchise is focused on building a competitive team from the ground up.

“Do you even know if Rohit Sharma is entering the auction? This is all unnecessary. It all depends on whether Mumbai Indians release Rohit Sharma or not. And even if Rohit comes to auction... if you put 50 per cent of your purse on one player, how will you buy other play?” Goenka said.

“Everyone wishes to have the best captain and best players. It's not about wanting. It all depends on what you have, and what is available, and what all you can do with it. Everyone franchise will have the same desire.”

Goenka on Rahul

The LSG owner also spoke about his equation with Rahul, calling him "an integral part of the franchise" amid speculations about the player's future in the team. However, Goenka remained evasive on player retention and captaincy for the next IPL season.

"Look, I've been meeting KL regularly over last three years. I'm a little surprised this meeting got so much attention. As I've said we have not taken any call till the retention rules are out," Goenka told reporters while unveiling Zaheer Khan as their team mentor.

"But KL has been an integral and important part of the LSG family since inception. He's played a very important role. He's like family and will be family."

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