Watch: Zaheer Khan openly stakes claim for India coach role during IPL 2025

Zaheer Khan, who is currently the mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise, opened up about potentially becoming coach of Team India in the future. The former fast bowler's response came ahead of the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 season.

Zaheer Khan retired from international cricket in 2015. He has been working in coaching roles. Khan held key positions with Mumbai Indians (MI) from 2018 to 2022. He served first as Director of Cricket and later as Head of Global Development. The veteran is bringing his expertise to Lucknow Super Giants.

Watch: Zaheer Khan Claims Stakes for India Coach Role

Zaheer Khan recently attended the ‘India@100: Leadership Insight from the Sports Economy’ event held in Kolkata.

During the discussion, he was asked about the possibility of coaching the Indian national cricket team in the future. Zaheer responded by saying it would be an honor for him to take up that responsibility.

"It would be an honour to coach Team India," said Zaheer.

BREAKING:

"It would be an honour to coach Team India," says Zaheer Khan.@ThumsUpOfficial @ImZaheer @BoriaMajumdar #LSG #ZaheerKhan pic.twitter.com/xOiELq1pjI

— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) April 7, 2025

Zaheer Khan One of the Greatest Bowlers for India

Zaheer Khan began his international career in 2000 with an ODI debut against Kenya and played his final ODI in 2012. The former left-arm fast bowler featured in 200 ODIs, picking up 282 wickets.

Khan was a key figure in India's 2011 World Cup triumph and ended the tournament as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps, sharing the spot with Shahid Afridi.

Zaheer played 92 Test matches for India and took 311 wickets, including 11 five-wicket hauls. He also represented India in 17 T20 Internationals, claiming 17 wickets. His contributions across all formats cemented his legacy as one of India’s premier fast bowlers.

IPL Gives Them The Opportunity - Zaheer Khan

Zaheer shared how the IPL has played a crucial role in offering young cricketers a platform to showcase their skills. He said that while the inaugural 2008 edition saw around 600 to 800 player registrations, the most recent mega auction attracted nearly 1,600 players.

“The determination and hunger in youngsters excites me,” said Zaheer. “IPL gives them the opportunity. When the league started in 2008, around 600–800 players had registered. But if you look at the last mega auction, nearly 1600 players registered. That is the growth and success story of cricket we are talking about.”

The Super Giants, led by Rishabh Pant, secured a 12-run win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 clash at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday, April 4. Digvesh Rathi was named Player of the Match for his impressive bowling figures of 1 for 21 in four overs.

The Rishabh Pant-led team is currently in sixth place on the 10-team points table. They began their IPL 2025 campaign with a loss against the Delhi Capitals (DC). LSG have four points and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.048. They will next face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 8.

Also read: Watch- Ian Bishop accuses Ambati Rayudu of being staunch CSK fanboy; the latter responds