In a statement, the Titans said:
“We are delighted to welcome former Australian opener Matthew Hayden as our batting coach for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. At Gujarat Titans, we are always striving to strengthen our core, and bringing someone of Hayden’s stature into our support staff adds immense value to the Titans’ backroom leadership.”
Hayden played for CSK from 2008 to 2010, scoring 1,107 runs in 32 matches, including eight fifties, and was part of the 2010 IPL title-winning squad under MS Dhoni.
On the international stage, Hayden amassed 15,066 runs in 273 matches, including 40 centuries and 69 fifties, representing Australia across formats. He was also part of the 2003 and 2007 ODI World Cup-winning teams. Hayden retired from all forms of cricket in 2012 and has since served as Pakistan’s head coach during the 2021 T20 World Cup and as mentor for the Men in Green in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
The Titans struggled with their middle order in IPL 2025, relying heavily on their top three — Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler. Players like Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia managed just 179 and 99 runs in 11 and 12 innings, respectively. Hayden’s appointment is expected to strengthen GT’s middle-order batting ahead of IPL 2026.
Gujarat Titans Squad for IPL 2026
Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Jos Buttler, Rahul Tewatia, Jayant Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Ishant Sharma, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Luke Wood, Prithvi Raj, Tom Banton.
The Titans, who purchased five new players, including West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder, are aiming for their second IPL trophy after reaching the knockouts in the previous season.
