“He has the power” – GT coach Matthew Hayden names Gujarat Titans star he’d gift his Mongoose bat to ahead of IPL 2026

Gujarat Titans’ new batting coach Matthew Hayden was known for smashing big shots with a Mongoose bat during his playing days in the IPL. Now that he has retired, Hayden was asked who he’d like to gift his Mongoose bat and he named GT’s star all-rounder Rahul Tewatia.

At the ‘Shubhaarambh’ event of Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Matthew Hayden answered questions from the media. Hayden was asked to name the GT player he’d pick if he had to give his Mongoose bat to one of them.

Without any hesitation, Hayden pointed towards Rahul Tewatia sitting next to him and said:

“If I had to hand my Mongoose bat to someone from GT, it’d have to be Rahul Tewatia. He has the power. You’ll get it, mate,” Hayden told Tewatia.

Apart from Hayden, the Titans’ star Kiwi all-rounder Glenn Phillips was also present at the event, and he was asked about his mindset when he is running to take incredible catches on the field.

“I am worried when an easy catch comes my way. Hard catches I know I will take, but easy catch, oh I’m worried,” Phillips gave a light-hearted response.

Phillips also named team’s wicketkeeper Jos Buttler as the GT squad member who is the most intense on a matchday.

“I don’t want my fast bowlers to be calm”- Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill received the loudest cheers from the crowd in Ahmedabad. GT chairman Jinal Mehta and director Shaan Mehta honored Gill for his extraordinary performance as India’s captain in the away Test series against England in 2025.

After that, Gill participated in a chat with host Mandira Bedi, and coach Ashish Nehra joined them as well. When asked if his players are also calm like him, Gill hilariously replied:

“I don’t want my fast bowlers to be calm. I want them to be fierce just like Ashu Pa was. I’m sure you must have seen videos of how Ashu Pa acknowledged dropped catches when he was playing.”

Gill referred to the old clips of Nehra expressing his frustration after his team’s wicketkeepers dropped catches off his bowling in IPL and international cricket.

GT’s star fast bowler Prasidh Krishna then explained the reason behind his aggressive celebrations and said:

“I grew up playing with elder people who used to bully me. So I always have that switch turned on but I step onto the field.”

Krishna won the Purple Cap last season and played a pivotal role in GT’s success. It will be interesting to see if Krishna can help the Gujarat Titans win the IPL trophy this season.