Punjab Kings bowling coach James Hopes said that not creating enough chances allowed Royal Challengers Bengaluru to post an above-par 222 during their IPL 2026 match in Dharamshala on Sunday.
“We need to tidy up some areas. Today, once again, I felt like we were always chasing our tail with the ball, not creating enough opportunities early. We controlled the PowerPlay pretty well, but every time we’d get back the momentum, they’d be big over and get back on top,” Hopes said after Punjab’s 23-run defeat.
Punjab’s response with the bat was timid too, as it lost three wickets during the field restrictions. However, Hopes added that out of the side’s recent losses, which have now mounted to six on the bounce, the one on Sunday was the least frustrating.
“I don’t think a top-order performs every game, and ours has performed in a lot of games. They play a high-risk game. Most top orders in this tournament play a high-risk game, and sometimes it doesn’t come off. In a chase of 220 runs with a couple of external pressures [relating to qualification], we just didn’t nail it tonight. And then for Shashank Singh to come out and actually give us an opportunity with four overs to go,” Hopes said.
Hopes also came to the defence of Arshdeep Singh, who has been mired in controversy over his use of social media over the last couple of weeks. On Saturday, reports emerged that the left-arm pacer had been fighting an injury through the initial stages of the tournament.
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However, Hopes denied suggestions of Arshdeep not being fully committed to the team.
“Ashdeep has been training as much as he’s ever trained, doing everything he normally does. I think if you add maybe four of the drop catches that should have been taken up as bowling, he’s on a 17-18 wicket season, and he’s going well. He fronts up every training session, every game, ready to go. And today was no different. He’s a warrior, Arshdeep,” Hopes said.
PBKS now stares at an elimination if Rajasthan Royals or Chennai Super Kings win two games. Once leading the standings, it could be out of the Playoffs race by the time it takes the field next on Saturday.
“That’s just the way it is now. We’ve got ourselves in this position. I just really hope that we are walking into Lucknow Stadium next week with an opportunity to qualify. And if we are, well, it’s up to us to take that opportunity. We haven’t taken opportunities in the last two weeks, and there’s no hiding behind it,” Hopes said.
“Yes, we could have done a lot of things better in the last three weeks. But that hasn’t happened, and now we need to regroup, hope, and pray to the Gods that it works out for us in the next five days,” he added.
Published on May 17, 2026