IPL 2025: Matthew Wade reunites with Gujarat Titans as Assistant Coach

Matthew Wade had been associated with the Gujarat Titans in the last three seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a wicketkeeper-batter. However, the Australian cricketer has joined the franchise's support staff ahead of the upcoming season. The 37-year-old will serve as the Assistant Coach and join a backroom staff that also includes Ashish Nehra (Head Coach), Parthiv Patel (Batting Coach), Aashish Kapoor and Narender Negi (Assistant Coaches).

Wade made his IPL debut in 2011. However, he had to wait for 11 years to return to the league as he was roped in by Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2022 mega-auction. He played 10 matches in the season but failed to make an impact. Wade missed featuring in the Playing XI in IPL 2023 before participating in a couple of games last season. In 12 matches for the Titans, the southpaw aggregated 161 runs.

He retired from international cricket in October last year and immediately transitioned into a coaching role. He served as a stand-in assistant coach for Australia in a T20I series against Pakistan, while the main coaching staff began preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

Wade made his maiden T20I appearance in 2011 before playing the two longer formats of international cricket the following year. He finished with 36 Tests, 97 ODIs, and 92 T20Is, amassing 4,682 international runs. One of the highlights of his cricketing career is the match-winning cameo he played against Pakistan in the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Australia went on to beat New Zealand in the final to lift the T20 World Cup for the first time. Wade had also led the Aussies in a stand-in capacity.

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Gujarat Titans had a wonderful start in the IPL as they won the coveted title in their first appearance in 2022. They finished runners-up in IPL 2023, losing to Chennai Super Kings off the last ball. However, last season turned out to be a major debacle as they finished at No. 9, only ahead of Mumbai Indians. The Titans would want to bounce back strongly in the 18th edition of the cash-rich league.