Gujarat Titans made a big announcement, two-time World Cup winner became the batting coach of IPL 2026.

**Gujarat Titans** (GT) has appointed Australian cricket legend **Matthew Hayden** as its new batting coach ahead of the **IPL 2026** season, the franchise announced on March 10, 2026. This is Hayden’s first major coaching role in the IPL, who will strengthen GT’s setup with his vast experience as they aim to regain top honors in 2025 after missing out on the playoffs.

Hayden, a dangerous left-handed opener, won two ODI World Cups (2003 and 2007) with Australia and scored over 15,000 international runs in 273 matches. Known for his aggressive power-hitting and excellent powerplay, he also played 32 IPL matches for Chennai Super Kings (2008–2010), scoring 592 runs at a strike rate of over 137, including the 2009 Orange Cap (572 runs in 12 matches).

He will join head coach **Ashish Nehra**, director of cricket **Vikram Solanki**, assistant coach **Parthiv Patel** and others. Hayden replaces fellow Australian **Matthew Wade**, who played a similar role in 2025.

In an official statement, Hayden said: “Good batting creates pressure. Great batting takes over the game. That’s the standard we want to set at Gujarat Titans.”

Welcoming the move, Solanki said: “Matthew’s appointment comes at an important juncture in our journey. As a franchise committed to great work and long-term success, we continue to focus on strengthening our cricketing ecosystem. His experience at the highest level, and his ability to guide emerging talent, will be instrumental in building our batting identity for the coming season.”

GT, the IPL 2022 champion and 2023 runner-up, looks to take advantage of Hayden’s expertise in modern T20 dynamics to guide stars like Shubman Gill and increase attacking intent. The appointment has created excitement among fans, and the franchise’s official channels have highlighted this “powerhouse” addition.