Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden blamed the team's Powerplay failure for their 5-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 final. GT posted 155/8, a target RCB chased down in 18 overs to defend their title.
Gujarat Titans (GT) batting coach Matthew Hayden pointed out the team's inability to utilise the Powerplay overs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final after the Shubman Gill-led side lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by five wickets as the Rajat Patidar-led side successfully defended their title. Asked to bat first, GT endured a difficult start, managing only 45 runs while losing the crucial wickets of captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan--their two highest run-scorers of the season--during the Powerplay. RCB maintained control through disciplined new-ball bowling and effective spin in the middle overs, triggering a batting collapse that prevented GT from building momentum in the final. The Titans eventually posted 155/8 in 20 overs, a target that RCB comfortably chased down in 18 overs to clinch the IPL 2026 title.
Hayden Reflects on Season and Franchise Culture
"Always hard to put it down to one thing for a season that's so long. We have apex predators but couldn't get going in the Powerplay. All our bowlers have been amazing. It's a very successful franchise. We've developed a nice fanbase that's sticking behind Gill, Sai and Buttler. This group is calm, does nothing urgently. Nehra is chilled out. Biggest thing in this franchise is family, that'll keep it in good stead," Hayden said after the match. Hayden also highlighted the impressive performances of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who ended the season as the highest run-scorer with 776 runs, and encouraged young cricketers to keep playing, learning, and drawing inspiration from their heroes. "Experience as coach was beyond my expectations. It was more detailed with bowling plans. We're a conservative batting side but crush the ball out of the ground at times. Credit to all our staff, makes it possible for us to play harder and recover quicker. Trying to understand what's happened is difficult. One thing the IPL brings out is young talent. It's exciting to watch the extraordinary Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. All you youngsters watching out there just keep playing and keep learning from your heroes," Hayden said.
GT's Batting Stumbles
Put to bat first by RCB, GT scored just 155/8 in 20 overs, with Washington Sundar (50* in 37 balls, with five fours) and Nishant Sindhu (20 in 18 balls, with three fours) being the only one to cross the 20-run mark. Rasikh Dar Salam (3/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) took wickets regularly.
Kohli Steers RCB to Victory
RCB started off well with a 62-run stand between Venkatesh Iyer (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Virat Kohli. GT showed some fight, reducing RCB to 132/5 at one point, but Virat (75* in 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) guided RCB to a win with two overs left.
RCB's Second IPL Crown
This is RCB's second IPL title win and overall their fourth Indian franchise cricket trophy, including two Women's Premier League (WPL) titles. (ANI)
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