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Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. (PHOTO: REUTERS)
Veteran New Zealand cricketer Kane Williamson is set to make his long-awaited comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have acquired the services of former Kiwi captain, albeit in a different role, as Williamson joined the side as Strategic Advisor, the franchise announced on Thursday.
Besides Williamson, former England first-class cricketer Carl Daniel Crowe has also joined LSG, having been appointed the spin bowling coach. Earlier, Crowe worked with the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL and the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League as spin bowling coach.
Australian Justin Langer will remain the head coach of the franchise with Bharat Arun on his side as bowling coach.
35-year-old Williamson, who will continue to play international cricket, has 9,276 runs to his name in 105 Tests with 33 hundreds and 37 half-centuries. In ODIs, Williamson has amassed 7,235 runs in 173 games while averaging 49.2, which also includes 15 centuries and 47 fifties. In 93 T20 Internationals, he has scored 2,575 runs at a strike rate of 123.1, scoring 18 half-centuries.
“I’m really excited to be joining LSG. They have a hugely talented squad and a great group of coaches, which I’m looking forward to working alongside.
It’s always special being involved in the IPL, the best franchise competition in the game,” said Williamson.
‘2026 is no exception’
“We enter every IPL season full of hope and expectation. 2026 is no exception and we are excited about the work we have ahead of us as we continue building a franchise into one the Goenka family, our players, sponsors, supporters and fans are all immensely proud of. The work hasn’t stopped since the end of last season as we prepare to make our mark on this season’s IPL. The hope, expectation and passion for LSG is growing strongly. We are looking forward to strengthening our squad in the coming months. And, we look forward to seeing Ekana bathed in blue when the season kicks off,” said Langer.
LSG made their debut in IPL in 2022 and qualified for the playoffs in their very first season. The side finished third in 2022 and repeated their performance in the following year with another third-place finish. The following two seasons, however, have been disappointing for LSG as they finished seventh in 2024 and 2025.
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