The former India pacer has reportedly joined the IPL franchise on a two-year deal.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have named Bharat Arun as their bowling coach ahead of the IPL 2026 season as he leaves Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after four seasons.
Arun had joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as their bowling coach in 2022 and played a crucial part in guiding them to their third IPL title in 2024.
According to Cricbuzz, the former India bowling coach has joined Lucknow Super Giants on a two-year deal. The Rishabh Pant-led side endured a forgettable IPL 2025 campaign, where they finished seventh in the standings with 12 points from 14 matches. Arun is set to work with Lucknow Super Giants bowlers throughout the year, and not just during the season.
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The report adds that all three parties who are involved— Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders and Bharat Arun, have refused to comment on the development. Bharat Arun’s arrival at Lucknow Super Giants also hint at the possibility of the franchise parting ways with mentor Zaheer Khan. The former India pacer had joined Lucknow Super Giants as a mentor on a one-year deal, and after a forgettable season, his stint is reportedly under review. Head coach Justin Langer’s situation is also being assessed.
It was only on Tuesday when Kolkata Knight Riders parted ways with head coach Chandrakant Pandit and now the three-time champions have two slots to fill up ahead of IPL 2026.
ALSO READ:
Kolkata Knight Riders have a reputation in a majority of their coaching staff leaving them for bigger roles in international cricket. Gautam Gambhir, Brendon McCullum, Trevor Bayliss, Ryan ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar (Only briefly) are a few prominent names who have considerably made it big as coaches in international cricket. Dwayne Bravo is currently the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Like Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders too missed out on qualifying for the IPL 2025 playoffs. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side finished in eighth place with 12 points from 14 matches.
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Banstead beat Twickenham by 7 runs