Punjab Kings\u2019 fortunes took another sharp turn on Sunday, with the franchise sliding to a sixth straight loss in IPL 2026. Shreyas Iyer\u2019s side had looked dominant during the early stretch of the competition, winning six matches in a row, but they have since lost their momentum in the second half. Playing defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Dharamsala, PBKS were beaten by 23 runs, a result that has left them close to the edge of elimination. Amid the mounting pressure on the squad, bowling coach James Hopes publicly backed pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh, who has faced scrutiny for both his spells on the field and reported issues away from it.<\/p>\n
Arshdeep has struggled to find his rhythm this season. In the match versus RCB, he conceded 43 runs while taking just one wicket across his four overs, a return that intensified discussions around his form. When questioned about the criticism surrounding the pacer, Hopes pushed back against the idea that Arshdeep\u2019s performances were being affected by distractions from social media. Instead, he pointed to a broader team problem\u2014PBKS\u2019 inability to manage crucial pressure moments during games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think, to be honest, Arshdeep bowled well in the back half of the tournament\u2014like, very well. He\u2019s been aggressive. There\u2019s been players and misses. There\u2019s 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\u2019s a warrior,\u201d Hopes said during the post-match press conference.<\/p>\n
Hopes also insisted that off-field factors had not derailed the campaign. \u201cI don\u2019t think any off-field stuff derailed our campaign. What derailed our campaign was our inability to take control of the momentum in games. Every time it looked like we were about to do it, we\u2019d do something to hurt ourselves or trip ourselves up,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
With only one fixture remaining against Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings face a demanding situation. They need to win their last match, but they will also have to depend on outcomes elsewhere to keep their playoff chances alive. After PBKS\u2019 defeat, RCB confirmed top-end qualification by becoming the first team to lock in a spot for the IPL 2026 Playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Punjab Kings\u2019 fortunes took another sharp turn on Sunday, with the franchise sliding to a sixth straight loss in IPL 2026. Shreyas Iyer\u2019s side had…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"PBKS vs RCB: IPL 2026 Coach Backs Arshdeep After Loss","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"PBKS suffer sixth straight IPL 2026 defeat to RCB as coach backs Arshdeep, but the pressure rises with elimination looming at Dharamsala.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n