21 April,2026 02:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Matthew Hayden (Pic: File Pic)
In the IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Titans (GT) suffered a humiliating loss by a huge margin of 99 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In the second essay of the game, the Titans witnessed a batting fiasco as they were bowled out for 100 runs in 15.5 overs.
Speaking about the debacle, GT's batting coach Matthew Hayden said that the loss is unacceptable and it was a horrible day for the hosts. He also added that, except for Kagiso Rabada's spell, nothing went in their favour.
"I expect our margins to be a lot smaller than 100 (99). That is an unacceptable scorecard for our batting unit. It was just a horrible day for us today. Truth be told, there was nothing good about this day, really, apart from Rabada's performance with the ball. So we've got some work to do, definitely," he told the media in the post-match interaction.
Rabada returned with the figures of three wickets for 33 runs in his spell of four overs.
The coach then stated that senior players need to be in a better mind space and should be able to shoulder their responsibilities.
"When you look down at our batting line-up, we've got wonderful players that have to be in a better mindset and better position to take their opportunities. That is our expectations and has been since the conception of this Gujarat Titans franchise. So you can't be sitting here and being happy about, a 100-run (99) margin game in a 20-over game. I mean, back in my day, 100 runs was almost a winning total in 50-over cricket!," said Hayden.
After the loss, the Shubman Gill-led GT is placed in sixth position. They have won three matches and suffered the same number of defeats in six games. The side also has a net run rate (NRR) of -0.821 and six points.
On the other hand, the "Paltan" is placed in the seventh position with two wins and four defeats. The Hardik Pandya-led team also has a net run rate (NRR) of +0.067 and four points.
(With PTI Inputs)
