James Hopes, Punjab Kings’ pace coach, called the situation “tough” after another loss pushed them close to missing out on the 2026 IPL playoffs. Their losing run hit six games straight following Sunday’s result. This time, Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat PBKS by 23 runs, standing tall as the first side confirmed for knockout stages. Not one to sugarcoat, Hopes admitted it feels rough being right up against the edge. A slim chance remains – though fixing things fast is the only path forward. Clearing up a few spots was necessary. Early on, our chances with the ball were fewer than expected, Hopes mentioned during the interview after the game.
“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.
Still, Hopes brushed aside claims linking Punjab Kings’ sharp decline to behind-the-scenes issues.
“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.
Poor again was Punjab’s leading bowler Arshdeep Singh, who this match returned numbers reading 4-0-43-1.
Honestly though, Hopes stood up for the left-arm seamer. Arshdeep showed real fire late in the competition – bowling sharp, taking risks. Misses happened, sure. Still, moments of control cut through the noise.
“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.
Out on the field, Josh Hazlewood found rhythm alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar, relishing every spell they shared under the lights.
Wickets fall regularly when he bowls. Runs tick along slowly under his watch. Maybe it comes from knowing the game through Indian summers, learning cricket where these pitches speak a familiar language. Facing the same batters, again and again, shapes something quiet but sure inside.
“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.
For sure, landing a win here means something. Coming into like situations later won’t be identical – different teams, different pressure – but playing today helps ahead of 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
