IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans appoint Matthew Hayden as batting coach
A World Cup winner and one of the most dominant opening batters of his era, Hayden joins the Titans setup with an illustrious international career and expertise.
Gujarat Titans have announced the appointment of former Australia batter Matthew Hayden as their batting coach ahead of IPL 2026.
This will be Hayden's first high-profile coaching stint in the tournament, having previously worked in the capacity of a broadcaster. He will replace Parthiv Patel in the role, although the latter will continue as the assistant coach of the franchise. Titans' support staff also includes Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki.
A World Cup winner and one of the most dominant opening batters of his era, Hayden joins the Titans setup with an illustrious international career and expertise in modern-day T20 batting dynamics and will strengthen the franchise’s support staff as it prepares for the 2026 season.
Commenting on the appointment, Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket, Gujarat Titans, said:
“Matthew’s appointment comes at a pivotal phase in our journey. As a franchise committed to excellence and long-term success, we are constantly focused on strengthening our cricketing ecosystem. His experience at the highest level, coupled with his ability to mentor emerging talent, will be instrumental in shaping our batting identity for the seasons ahead.”
Commenting on his appointment, Hayden said:
“Good batting applies pressure. Great batting owns the game. That’s the standard we want to set at Gujarat Titans.”
Hayden represented Australia in 273 international matches across formats, scoring over 15,000 international runs. He played a pivotal role in Australia's multiple ICC tournament victories.
The Titans won the tournament in their inaugural season in 2022 and finished runners-up in 2023. They finished third in 2025 after the eighth-place finish in 2024.
Gujarat Titans squad
Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Prithvi Raj, Luke Wood
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