Gautam Gambhir Likely to Recuse Himself as LSG Mentor for One Year Due to Elections, Not Moving Base

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir is likely to recuse himself as the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. News18 CricketNext has learnt that Gambhir is not moving to a different franchise but just taking a break to focus on political commitments in an important election year.

“Yes, Gautam Gambhir is likely to just take a break for the next IPL to political commitments. He is not moving to a different team or leaving franchises. There will be a lot of political work involved in the build-up to the Lok Sabha elections, so he wants to focus all his energies towards that,” a source tracking developments tells CricketNext.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from East Delhi is a strong figure in Delhi politics and his constituency has been a saving grace for the party. In the MCD polls, which were won by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Gambhir’s East Delhi parliamentary constituency saw 21 out of the 36 wards going BJP’s way. It was the party’s best-performing constituency in the polls. Considering his popularity and performance, Gambhir is likely to be a key campaigning figure for the general elections next year, between the month of April and May.

“Gautam is a big face for BJP in Delhi and elsewhere also his popularity is right up there. So he will be actively involved in election work next year and will not have enough time for the IPL,” adds the source.

CricketNext reached out to Gambhir for a comment and the story will be updated the moment the former India cricketer responds.

MSK Prasad joins LSG

In another interesting development, former India chairman of selectors MSK Prasad has joined the franchise as a Strategic Consultant. Prasad is the second major appointment after the team parted ways with Andy Flower and roped in Justin Langer as the new head coach.

“Prasad brings with him a wealth of experience and a stellar track record in cricket operations, coupled with a passion that has driven him to remarkable achievements in both national and international arenas. His journey is marked by a range of accomplishments that span from representing the Indian National Cricket Team to steering the operations of prominent cricket associations; all of which will bring valuable insights and experience to our organization,” the franchise said in a statement.