New Zealand maestro Kane Williamson returns to IPL, joins Rishabh Pant’s Lucknow Super Giants in game-changing role
This appointment also marks the end of Zaheer Khan’s tenure as LSG’s mentor, who joined after Gautam Gambhir left for KKR. Former England cricketer Carl Crowe also joined as spin bowling coach, strengthening Lucknow’s revamped support squad.
Veteran New Zealand cricketer Kane Williamson is set to make his much-anticipated return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) securing the former Kiwi skipper’s expertise albeit in a new capacity. The franchise announced Thursday that Williamson will join the team as a Strategic Advisor.
Alongside Williamson, LSG also welcomed former England first-class cricketer Carl Daniel Crowe, who was appointed as spin bowling coach. Crowe previously served as spin bowling coach for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.
Australia’s Justin Langer will continue to lead the franchise as head coach and Bharat Arun will assist him as bowling coach.
“We enter every IPL season full of hope and expectation. 2026 is no exception and we are excited about our work ahead as we continue to build a franchise. goenka Our family, players, sponsors, supporters and fans are all extremely proud. Our work has not stopped since the end of last season as we prepare to make our mark in this season’s IPL. Hope, expectation and passion for LSG are increasing. We hope to strengthen our squad in the coming months. And we look forward to seeing Ekana Langer said he was in blue when the season started.
Williamson, 35, remains active in international cricket, scoring an impressive record of 9,276 runs in 105 Test matches, which includes 33 centuries and 37 half-centuries. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he accumulated 7,235 runs in 173 matches and scored an average of 49.2 with 15 centuries and 47 fifties to his name. In the T20 International format, Williamson scored 2,575 runs in 93 matches at a strike rate of 123.1, including 18 half-centuries.
“I’m really excited to be joining LSG. They have an extremely talented squad and a great group of coaches and I look forward to working with them. It’s always special to be involved in the IPL, the best franchise competition in the game,” Williamson said.
Lucknow Super Giants made their IPL debut in 2022 and successfully qualified for the play-offs in their first season. They finished third in 2022 and matched that performance with a third place the following year. However, the next two seasons were not very positive for LSG as they finished seventh in both 2024 and 2025.
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