Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden said he would gift his Mongoose bat to Rahul Tewatia ahead of IPL 2026. Hayden used to hit big shots with the Mongoose bat in the IPL during his heyday. 

Hayden said Tewatia has the power, and he will make the most of his Mongoose bat. Tewatia could only score 99 runs in 12 innings in IPL 2025 at an average of 12.38 and a strike rate of 167.79 and thus he would want to turn a corner in the upcoming season.

“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 at the Gujarat Titans event in Ahmedabad.

On the other hand, Glenn Phillips, who is known for his brilliant fielding, said he is worried when an easy catch comes his way.

“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.

Meanwhile, GT captain Shubman Gill said he wants his fast bowlers to be aggressive like head coach Ashish Nehra.

He said, “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.”

Furthermore, Prasidh Krishna, the previous season’s Purple Cap winner, revealed the reason behind his aggressive celebrations.

He 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.”

Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur on 31st March.