Matthew Hayden labels Gujarat Titans' 99-run defeat 'unacceptable'

Gujarat Titans’ batting coach Matthew Hayden did not hold back after his side’s humiliating 99-run defeat to Mumbai Indians, calling it “a horrible day” and branding the batting performance “unacceptable” in a scathing post-match assessment.

Chasing 200, Gujarat Titans were bowled out for just 100, a collapse that Hayden said exposed serious flaws in both mindset and execution. “I expect our margins to be a lot smaller than 100. That is an unacceptable scorecard for our batting unit,” he said bluntly. “It was just a horrible day for us today. Truth be told, there was nothing good about this day,” he added.

The match effectively slipped away during the powerplay, according to Hayden, as Titans’ top order failed to lay a foundation. Despite boasting stars like Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, GT crumbled early, exposing the middle order prematurely. “Well, middle order was undoubtedly exposed today. When they’re coming in with six overs, you know that you’re in deep trouble,” Hayden said. “You can’t win it in the powerplay, but you can definitely lose it — and we lost it there.”

He stressed that the team’s structure depends on strong starts, adding that players like Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan and Glenn Phillips were forced into roles they are not designed for. “We shouldn’t be allowing these guys lots of balls. That’s not their role. That’s not what they train for,” he explained.

While the batting drew most of Hayden’s ire, he also criticised the bowling unit for a disastrous finish. From 44/3, Mumbai Indians surged to 199/5, smashing 73 runs in the final four overs — a phase Hayden labelled a “horror story.” “That was just a horror story — 73 off the last four is unacceptable as world-class players,” he said. “It was purely an executional thing.”

Hayden added that the pitch did not justify such a high total, suggesting GT underperformed significantly. “We were very average with the ball on a wicket that I really felt was probably a 175-type wicket.”

Despite having a formidable batting unit on paper, Hayden made it clear that reputation means little without delivery. “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,” he said. “You can’t be sitting here happy about a 100-run margin game in a 20-over match.”

He concluded with a stark admission of how quickly the chase unraveled. “By that stage, I felt like as a batting coach, I was on the mast and the boat was sinking.”