Gujarat Titans have appointed a Chennai Super Kings veteran as their new batting coach ahead of the 2026 IPL season. The franchise made the announcement on Tuesday March 10 and the man coming in is one of the most decorated opening batters the game has produced. He has since moved into coaching and brings experience of working at the highest level of international cricket to his new role. The appointment comes at an important moment for Gujarat Titans as they look to make their mark in what is the biggest IPL season in the competition's history.

The mongoose is back in the Gujarat Titans dugout for IPL 2026

Matthew Hayden is the man Gujarat Titans have turned to. He played 273 international matches for Australia and scored over 15,000 runs across formats during a career that made him one of the most destructive opening batters of his era. In the IPL he played 32 games for Chennai Super Kings and scored 1107 runs, famously using the Mongoose bat to take bowlers apart in a way that nobody else really replicated.

As per Cricbuzz, Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket at Gujarat Titans, said the timing of the appointment was deliberate. "Matthew's appointment comes at a pivotal phase in our journey," he said. "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." For a side that will rely heavily on Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan at the top Hayden's job is to make sure the batting unit does not just get through the 20 overs but controls them from ball one.

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Great batting owns the game

Hayden has been a coach before. He worked with the Pakistan national side and was part of the setup that took them to a World Cup final. That experience of working with international players in knockout cricket is something Gujarat Titans are clearly keen to bring into their dressing room. Solanki was also clear that this goes beyond just a coaching hire. The idea is to change the culture of how the franchise approaches batting.

Hayden's first words in the role gave a pretty clear idea of what is coming. "Good batting applies pressure," he said. "Great batting owns the game. That's the standard we want to set at Gujarat Titans." It is a straightforward statement and it tells you exactly what kind of batting coach he intends to be. Gujarat Titans might play their first game on March 28 or after that and the rest of the IPL will find out soon enough what a Hayden-inspired batting unit looks like.