Former title winning KKR captain Gautam Gambhir is back again in the IPL as he has been roped in by the new Lucknow franchise as their mentor.
The Sanjeev Goenka owned Lucknow franchise, which is yet to be named, is one of the new teams in the IPL along with Ahmedabad.
"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 24x7. I will not be contesting for a dressing room but for the spirit and soul of Uttar Pradesh," Gambhir said in a statement.
The Sanjeev Goenka owned Lucknow franchise, which is yet to be named, is one of the new teams in the IPL along with Ahmedabad.
Sanjiv Goenka welcomed Gambhir into the RPSG family.
"Gautam has an impeccable career record. I respect his cricketing mind and look forward to working with him," he said.
The announcement of Gambhir for the Lucknow franchise is the second major one for the team after they brought in former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as head coach, making it official on Friday.
Flower had been previously working with Anil Kumble in the Punjab Kings franchise for two years.
"I am incredibly excited to be joining the new Lucknow franchise and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Since my very first tour to India in 1993, I have always loved touring, playing and coaching in India," said Flower in a statement.
Along with Andy Flower, it was reported that Punjab’s skipper in the last two seasons, KL Rahul is also expected to move to the Lucknow franchise.
The Goenka-led RP-SG Group had bid Rs 7090 crore to own the Lucknow franchise. Goenka had previously also been part of the IPL with the Rising Pune Supergiant franchise which had been part of the IPL for two years (2016-2017) when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals had been banned for their roles in the spot fixing saga.