Punjab Kings' IPL 2026 Downfall Triggered By Off-Field Drama? PBKS Coach Gives Clear-Cut Response

Punjab Kings' fast bowling coach James Hopes said it was “frustrating” to stand near elimination from the IPL 2026 playoffs race after the Shreyas Iyer-led side crashed to their sixth defeat on the bounce on Sunday. In the latest debacle, Royal Challengers Bengaluru outclassed PBKS by 23 runs, as the reigning champions became the first team to enter the knockouts. “Frustrating, to be honest. We are staring it in the face now. There's still hope, but we need to turn it around. We need to tidy up some areas. I felt, with the ball, we didn't create enough opportunities early,” Hopes said in the post-match press conference.

“We controlled the power play pretty well, but every time we'd get back the momentum, they'd be getting a big over and get back on top. And then in the chase, we sort of got going, but then, yeah, just petered out. We lost too many wickets early,” he added.

However, Hopes dismissed any suggestions that Punjab Kings' drastic dip had anything to do with off-field controversies.

"I don't think any off-field stuff derailed our campaign. What derailed our campaign was our inability to take control of momentum in games. Every time it looked like we were about to do it, we'd do something to hurt ourselves or trip ourselves up," he said.

Punjab's pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh produced yet another lukewarm outing, and this time he ended up with figures of 4-0-43-1.

But Hopes defended the left-arm pacer. “I think, to be honest, Arshdeep bowled well in the back half of the tournament, like, very well. He's been aggressive. There's been players and misses.

“There's been catches dropping short of people, and some missed opportunities. He fronts up every training session, every game, ready to go. And today was no different. He's a warrior,” he said.

Meanwhile, RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood said he enjoyed bowling in tandem with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

“He gets wickets every game. He keeps the runs down. I guess it's just having that different base of knowledge of growing up in India and playing in these conditions, playing against these players a lot of the time.

“So I guess that's probably the difference. He's got a lot of knowledge on the people we're coming up against, the grounds we're playing at. Even though we're different bowlers, it's still very useful information for not just me, but the whole bowling attack.” RCB have sealed the playoffs berth with two games in hand, and Hazlewood was glad that the team has enough breaks in between to freshen up before the knockouts.

“Yeah, I guess it's good to get a hit out on this field. We're going to come up to similar conditions, maybe not against the same opposition, but it's great to get a game here before Qualifier 1.

“So, yeah, just the things we learned tonight, we'll take that forward. We've got some nice breaks. We've got a few days before the Hyderabad game and then a few days again before Q1. So, nice time to freshen up this time of the tournament and, yeah, come back here all guns blazing,” he added. PTI UNG UNG PDS

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Punjab Kings James Hopes Shreyas Iyer Ricky Ponting IPL 2026 Cricket Arshdeep Singh