IPL 2026: Harbhajan hails Nehra as key to Gujarat Titans' turnaround

Gujarat Titans have won three straight games in IPL 2026, securing fourth place. Harbhajan Singh credits coach Ashish Nehra's 'football coach' style for the turnaround, praising his energy and ability to unite the team.

After starting the IPL 2026 season with back-to-back defeats, Gujarat Titans (GT) have bounced back with consecutive three wins and have placed themselves at fourth place in the points table. Credit for GT's turnaround also goes to the head coach, Ashish Nehra, who led the side to the title in their debut 2022 season, becoming the first Indian head coach to win the tournament.

Harbhajan Singh lauds Ashish Nehra's 'football coach' style

Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Champions Waali Commentary', former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh compared Nehra's coaching style to a football coach, highlighting his non-stop energy and communication with the players. "Ashish Nehra is the only person who makes the atmosphere comfortable anywhere, anytime. Wherever he goes, he makes everyone around him feel at ease. Not just himself, but everyone who works with him. One of the finest human beings you will ever meet. If you are with him, you are guaranteed to have a good time," said Singh. "His biggest contribution to the Gujarat Titans is keeping everyone united. That is Ashish Nehra. He is like a football coach. He never sits still. Throughout the entirety of a match, he will find a player and keep talking to him. Nehra ji has a great understanding of the game. The work he has done with the Gujarat Titans is commendable," he added.

Titans secure comeback win over KKR

In their last match, the Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR, while batting first, were reduced to 32-3 in four overs when Cameron Green joined hands with Rovman Powell (27 runs) to stitch a 55-run partnership and then combined for a 60-run partnership with Anukul Roy. Green scored a 55-ball 79 and guided KKR to 180 in 20 overs, a total that looked rather difficult to achieve early in the team's innings.

GT, powered by captain Shubman Gill's 86-run knock, chased KKR's score with two balls and five wickets remaining and handed KKR their fifth successive defeat in the IPL 2026. Kagiso Rabada's bowling figures of 3/29 in 4 overs proved crucial for the GT earlier in the match.

Current Standings and NRR Concerns

With the win, GT now find themselves placed fourth on the points table. While the Gujarat Titans are on a three-match winning streak, their Net Run Rate (NRR) remains only slightly above zero. In contrast, several other teams have much stronger NRR figures--well over 0.300--with table-toppers Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru both boasting NRRs exceeding +1.

Next Fixture

The Shubman Gill-led GT will take on the Mumbai Indians in their next game in Ahmedabad on Monday. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)