India captain and five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain Rohit Sharma has been a big point of discussion in recent weeks, particularly about his potential future ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
There were reports that several teams including Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have set aside special funds to acquire Rohit, if he is released by his current franchise, Mumbai Indians (MI).
While the rule of retentions has not been confirmed yet, MI's decision on whether to retain Rohit or release him is likely to be complicated because of the number of younger star players in the franchise.
In a recent interview where LSG Sanjiv Goenka announced former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan as the team's new mentor, he also clarified about reports suggesting that the franchise will target Rohit.
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What did LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka say about targeting Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction?
Talking to SportsTak, Goenka admitted that the franchise has not yet made a decision about the team's captain for the IPL 2025 season. It is not yet clear if KL Rahul will continue as the LSG skipper for next season.
He dismissed reports implying that LSG had reserved a sum of 50 crores to acquire the current India captain, saying that it would be unrealistic to build a competitive team by investing such a big sum on a single player.
MORE: Will LSG retain KL Rahul ahead of IPL 2025 season?
Further, the discussion will turn pointless if the Mumbai franchise does not release Rohit and instead retains him ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
"Do you even know if Rohit Sharma is entering the auction? This is all unnecessary. It all depends on whether Mumbai Indians release Rohit Sharma or not. And even if Rohit comes to auction, if you put 50 per cent of your purse on one player, how will you buy other players?" Goenka said.
Lucknow is among the few teams who are not yet certain about the leadership role for the upcoming season, so it is likely that the team will target Rohit if he is available but given the dynamic of the auction, other factors will be considered as well.
"Everyone wishes to have the best captain and best players. It's not about wanting. It all depends on what you have, and what is available, and what all you can do with it. Every franchise will have the same desire," he added.
However, if Rohit is released and a need arises to reach out to him and convince him to join the LSG franchise, Goenka could turn to the team's new mentor Zaheer Khan, who has worked extensively with the former MI skipper during the IPL, in the past.
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