Who is that person? The one who made KKR the IPL champion twice, now Gujarat Titans has given him a big responsibility.

New Delhi. Before the start of the excitement of IPL, Gujarat Titans have further strengthened their camp. The former champion team has announced the appointment of former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Vijay Dahiya as its new assistant coach. Gujarat Titans have given this information, due to which the coaching staff of the team now looks even more experienced. Vijay Dahiya is a respected name of Indian cricket. He has played 2 Tests and 19 ODI matches for India, but his stature is even higher in the world of coaching.

It was under the guidance of Vijay Dahiya that Delhi won the Ranji Trophy title in the 2007-08 season. He has also previously played coaching roles with many IPL franchises and domestic teams. Gujarat Titans recently appointed great Australian batsman Matthew Hayden as their batting coach. Now with the arrival of Vijay Dahiya, the pair of Hayden and the head coach will get a lot of help at the strategic level. Vijay Dahiya was associated with KKR from 2009 to 2015. Where he assisted its head coach Gautam Gambhir. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders won two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.

Schedule of first phase of IPL out
Along with this announcement by Gujarat, BCCI has also announced the schedule of the first phase of IPL 2026. The first part of the 19th season will be played from 28 March to 12 April 2026. The tournament will begin at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where defending champion Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Venue and match: A total of 20 matches will be played in the first phase. These matches will be held in 10 different cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. During this period, there will be four double-header (two matches in a day) matches. Afternoon matches will start at 3:30 pm and evening matches will start at 7:30 pm.

Complete schedule still pending due to elections
BCCI has clarified that since assembly elections are to be held in three states during this period, the schedule of the entire tournament will be released only after the announcement of the election dates. Gujarat Titans, who have reached the playoffs three times in their first four seasons, will once again enter the field with this new coaching staff with the intention of establishing their dominance.