Bharat Arun Becomes LSG Bowling Coach: Bharat Arun has been appointed bowling coach of Lucknow Super Giants, marking the latest move in a coaching carousel that has come to define the Indian Premier League’s off-season.
Arun, 62, joins Lucknow Super Giants following a four-season spell with Kolkata Knight Riders, during which the team secured the 2024 IPL title, their first in ten years. A key architect of India’s fast-bowling rise during the Ravi Shastri era, Arun has agreed to a two-year deal with LSG, where his responsibilities will extend beyond just the IPL window into the franchise’s broader development initiatives.
Neither KKR nor LSG officially confirmed the deal, but multiple sources within the franchises have described the transition as amicable and long-anticipated. At KKR, Arun had increasingly shared bowling duties with mentor Dwayne Bravo, and the overlapping of responsibilities was viewed internally as sub-optimal. When Arun requested a release to pursue another opportunity, the franchise, true to what it calls its “institutional policy” of not hindering professional advancement, did not stand in his way.
Bharat Arun Becomes LSG Bowling Coach, Zaheer Khan Might Go Out As Mentor
The arrival of Arun almost certainly signals the end of Zaheer Khan’s association with LSG. The former left-arm quick was mentor to the side in the last IPL season, but only on a one-year contract. That deal, sources say, is unlikely to be renewed. Likewise, head coach Justin Langer’s position is under scrutiny, with the LSG management said to be reassessing his role following two underwhelming campaigns.
Arun’s appointment is the first strategic move by LSG following a period of backroom churn. The Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise has not lived up to expectations since its entry into the IPL in 2022, with a strong squad but inconsistent performances. That makes Arun’s role pivotal: beyond tactics, his remit will include shaping a coherent bowling blueprint and working closely with the team’s analytics and scouting group.
KKR, meanwhile, are left with a vacuum in leadership after parting ways with head coach Chandrakant Pandit just a day earlier. The franchise, which has long projected itself as a launchpad for coaching talent, with former staffers like Gautam Gambhir, Trevor Bayliss and Abhishek Nayar now in national roles, is expected to undertake a broad-based search for replacements.
For now, LSG have secured the services of a coach with a proven track record in elite cricket, one who, fittingly for the IPL, has become as much a part of the tournament’s fabric as its marquee players.
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