IPL 2026: Punjab Kings coach Plays Down recent Defeats ahead of Delhi Capitals clash

Punjab Kings fast bowling coach James Hopes has played down their recent form ahead of their IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals.

He spoke to the media ahead of their IPL clash against Delhi Capitals at the scenic HPCA Cricket Stadium in Dharamshala, the team's home ground for remaining matches.

Reflecting on recent form, Hopes pinpointed fielding lapses as a key issue but framed them as temporary bumps in a long tournament.

"We let ourselves down in the last game with our catching. If we take those catches, we could probably restrict them to a little bit more than 220 and come out on top in that game. It's a little bit of a hiccup, but I think any team that thinks they're going to go through this tournament and just sail for two months all the way through and not lose a game of cricket is kidding themselves. Our tournament for us starts now, I think," he said.

Hopes highlighted the venue's bowler-friendly traits, which should suit the Kings' pace attack after flatter pitches elsewhere.

"It does favour the fast bowlers historically just because there's a little bit of sideways movement and a little bit more bounce than some of the other venues that we play on. So the guys are excited about tomorrow night. We have been playing on some of the pitches which we think have been pretty flat, so I think they're excited to see the ball swing around a little bit and bounce a little bit."

On potential changes to the lineup with Azmatullah Omarzai's return, he noted flexibility: "I think with Harpreet, whenever he gets a game, he always performs. He hasn't let us down at all in the last couple of years. With Azmatullah back now from Afghanistan, we have an opportunity to maybe switch things up a little bit and still carry all our fast bowling and play two spinners, but we'll sit down and talk about that tonight."

The coach praised captains Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer for fostering a fun, resilient team culture.

"They just talk about team first things, doing all the little things, like preparing the right way, getting our plans in place, the little extra efforts in the field, the extra efforts with the bat, being that little bit more selfless with the bat, being that little more selfless with the ball. All things like that all add up across the season to a team environment which those two have created and to be honest our group has a lot of fun," he said.

Hopes expressed excitement about Dharamshala's beauty and its timing for team rejuvenation, while hoping for strong local support akin to Mullanpur.

"It's one of the most beautiful grounds in the world and it comes at a good time in the tournament for us. It's been a long tournament and the boys come up here and they refresh, regroup and hopefully put on a bit of a show tomorrow night and get ourselves back in it," he added.

The Kings have lost three matches in a row and have also slipped down from the top of the IPL points table.