IPL 2026 | We didn’t have the rhythm when bowling, admits GT’s Hayden

Even 45 dot balls couldn’t mask the lapses as many Gujarat Titans bowlers “were a little bit off their rhythm and lines in particular,” admitted batting coach Matthew Hayden after the six-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in a boundary-laden IPL contest on Saturday. Titans conceded 13 wides, which proved costly in a narrow defeat.

“Mohammed Siraj had an off-day. Simple as that. When we reviewed his pitch map, it was a little bit too short and a little bit too wide,” Hayden said.

The Australian felt that “the game was absolutely in the bag,” pointing to key decisions against an on-song Ravi Bishnoi (four for 41) and the costly run-out of Shahrukh Khan. The 54-year-old called for a “little bit of cohesion” in the “entire batting line-up,” adding that there was a need for “little attention to detail around winning a game amongst a partnership that does start.”

Hayden said that Kagiso Rabada (23 n.o.) “was magnificent with the bat,” and that he “showed, as a frontline bowler, that commitment to batting counts, especially in run chases.”

Player-of-the-Match Bishnoi revealed his most effective tactic on the night. “There was a big boundary on one side, and there were many left-handers in the opposition. So, I was trying to bowl googlies from middle and leg stumps. The attempt was to make the left-handers hit the balls going towards the longer end. B. Sai Sudharsan and Washi (Washington Sundar) both got out. So, the tactic that I discussed with the captain (Riyan Parag) and Dhruv Jurel worked,” Bishnoi said.