Lucknow franchise rope in Gautam Gambhir as mentor for Indian T20 League 2022

A day after announcing Andy Flower as the head coach for the 15th edition of the Indian T20 League (ITL), RP Sanjiv Goenka Group (RPSG), owners of the new Lucknow franchise have signed two times ITL winner Gautam Gambhir as the mentor.

Gambhir has a stellar record in ITL and led Kolkata to title wins in 2012 and 14. Speaking on his association with the franchise, Gambhir said, "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."

"Gautam has an impeccable career record," Goenka said. "I respect his cricketing mind and look forward to working with him."

Gambhir had a remarkable stint with Team India and scored 4154 runs in 58 Tests, 5238 runs in 147 ODIs and 932 runs in 37 T20Is in a decade long career.

Meanwhile, the Lucknow franchise is likely to name their player picks soon. The new franchises are allowed to pick three players before the mega auction. If reports are to be believed, KL Rahul and Rashid Khan are certain to play for the franchise.