Lucknow Super Giants rope in Kane Williamson as 'strategic advisor'

Lucknow Super Giants have roped in New Zealand batting star Kane Williamson as a strategic advisor in the IPL. Just this year, Williamson played for Durban Super Giants, the Sanjeev Goenka-owned team in the SA20 league.

Williamson was one among five New Zealand cricketers to decline central contracts so that he could ply his trade in the leagues around the world. The former captain hasn't retired from the format yet and has committed to being available for New Zealand for next year's T20 World Cup.

Williamson joins a backroom staff that has already seen another big change, with Bharat Arun joining as bowling coach following his four-year stint with KKR.

Williamson has enjoyed a long stint as a player in the IPL, featuring in 10 seasons between 2015 and 2024. He also earned the orange cap in 2018 with 735 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad. After featuring for SRH until 2022 and also captaining them, Williamson was snapped up by Gujarat Titans in 2023. He played just one game that season, when an injury forced a lengthy layoff. In 2024, he featured in two matches. In the mega auction before IPL 2025, Williamson went unsold.