Sanjiv Goenka regards KL Rahul as family but would not reveal whether the India wicketkeeper batter will be retained for the next three seasons. “As far as I am concerned, I treat him as part of my family. He knows that too,” Goenka told Cricbuzz on Wednesday in an exclusive interaction.
Rahul captained his Lucknow Super Giants for three years but their equation has been a subject of immense debate since their public discussion after a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad last season when LSG were mauled by 10 wickets.
“He (Rahul) has been there since the inception of Lucknow Super Gants. He’s led us for three years. I have gone on record before and I have no hesitation in saying this again 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. It’s not something I’m going to discuss now. That has to be confidential. There are three months to decide on this.”
There has been intense speculation whether Rahul would be continued as captain. “What is your opinion,” Goenka quipped in a quick riposte declining a direct reply.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), having recently spoken to the owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, is expected to come out with a policy on retention. Does LSG have a position on the subject? Goenka refused to spell out the franchise’s stand.
“We don’t even know what is going to be the retention policy of the BCCI. Let the BCCI announce the policy. Then we will have three months to decide. It’s too early to take a call on anything like that.” He, however, made it clear that he is for the continuation of the mega-auction. “Yes, it should be there.”
With Zaheer Khan by his side, Goenka outlined what are the expectations from the new mentor. “We are looking to get into a winning habit, making winning a habit. For Zaheer, right through his playing career and then in his non-playing career, winning has been a way of life for him. That is what we want and that is what we hope to get. So when I realized he’s no longer with Mumbai Indians, I approached him. It is as simple as that.”
Zaheer has taken the place of Gautam Gambhir, who was the team’s mentor in the first two seasons, when LSG made the play-offs. But they failed to make the last-four stage in the third season. Goenka attributed the poor result to the absence of a mentor.
“We all learn from the mistakes. I think it’s not only about strategic guidance and advice (from a mentor) but also inputs. It’s about making players feel comfortable in their skin. They go out and express themselves, and do so with freedom and clarity. I think that is where we felt that we missed something last year.
“We lost that game to Hyderabad badly, then we lost to Delhi in a game which we could have won. In the game against Gujarat, we should have won with a better margin. We took it to the 20th over. Those are the situations for which we have nobody else to blame but ourselves. But we are here to improve. And we recognize that in sport you don’t win every year. You cannot win every year and you cannot win every game. But as long as that attitude of winning is there and that attitude to improve from your losses and mistakes is there, I’m satisfied.”
Goenka purchased the franchise for INR 7090 crore in 2022, making LSG the costliest team in the IPL. He has no regrets for such a heavy investment. “I’m very happy, I’m delighted and I’m excited. I see the valuations going up. We need to improve our performance.”
