Former IPL champions Gujarat Titans have added significant firepower to their coaching setup, naming Australian great Matthew Hayden as batting coach for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The announcement comes just 18 days before the 19th edition of the tournament gets underway.
Hayden brings a decorated résumé to the role a two-time ICC ODI World Cup winner with Australia and a Champions Trophy title-holder who also tasted IPL success during his playing days with Chennai Super Kings. His appointment is seen as a major boost for GT’s dressing room ahead of the new campaign.
Speaking after the announcement, Hayden set a clear tone for his tenure. “Good batting applies pressure. Great batting owns the game,” he said. “That’s the standard we want to set at Gujarat Titans.”
Powerhouse. Legend. Now our Batting Coach 💪
Saying '𝗛𝗮𝘆-𝗗𝗼𝘀t' to @HaydosTweets 👋 pic.twitter.com/J3eE59AzM1— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 10, 2026
He will slot into a well-credentialed backroom team alongside head coach Ashish Nehra, director of cricket Vikram Solanki, and batting stalwart Parthiv Patel. Prior to joining GT, Hayden had served as a batting consultant with the Pakistan cricket team.
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Solanki welcomed the appointment, underlining what Hayden brings beyond just experience. “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,” he said.
Hayden’s IPL playing career was brief but impactful. He made his debut for CSK in the inaugural 2008 edition, featuring in just four matches. A year later, with the tournament shifted to South Africa, he emerged as one of the competition’s standout performers finishing as the edition’s leading run-scorer with 572 runs across 12 innings, including a top score of 89. Despite his efforts, CSK fell short of the title that year.
His final IPL season in 2010 proved to be the defining chapter. Hayden contributed 346 runs as Chennai clinched their maiden IPL trophy the first of what would become many for the franchise. Across his 32 IPL appearances, he accumulated 1,107 runs at an average of 36.90 and a strike rate of 137.52.