Ahead of Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 clash against Delhi Capitals in Dharamshala, bowling coach James Hopes admitted the team “let themselves down” with poor catching in the previous game but backed the squad to bounce back. He said the conditions at HPCA Stadium would favour pacers and praised Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer for maintaining a relaxed team environment.

Dharamshala: Punjab Kings are all set to play their first TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) match at their second home ground, HPCA Cricket Stadium, Dharamshala, against Delhi Capitals on Monday. Ahead of the crucial encounter, the Kings’ fast bowling coach, James Hopes, addressed the media regarding the team’s strategy, the shift to the new home ground, and maintaining a positive outlook despite recent setbacks.

Reflecting on the team's recent performance and the challenges faced, Hopes identified specific areas for improvement while noting that setbacks are natural over the course of a two-month 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,” the coach said.

Discussing the tactical advantage of the venue, Hopes noted, “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.”