James Hopes, the fast bowling coach for the Punjab Kings, stated that his team’s first loss of the season is a necessary “reality check” but maintained that there is no panic in the camp.
The lone undefeated team going into the match, Punjab Kings, were defeated by Rajasthan Royals by six wickets on Tuesday.
“It’s a reality check. Yeah, we’re flying. We’ve been winning games, and it’s great, and everyone’s happy, and it’s still a great environment,” PTI quoted Hope as saying at the post-match press conference.
“It’s game eight, and we’ve just lost our first game of the IPL, so I’m not going to sit here and say it’s doom and gloom in the change room,” he added.
The Kings will have plenty time to regroup as they go to Ahmedabad on Sunday to play the Gujarat Titans. According to Hopes, the emphasis would be on fixing little flaws.
“One loss, you’re not going to go through the IPL and not lose a game. Now it’s about we have a few days to regroup before we play GT.
“It’s about just getting back to work in a couple of days at training and trying to iron out some kinks, trying to work through the best combination for the conditions we’re going to get and the opposition we’re going to get in the next couple of games.”
The performance of left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar, who returned with economical figures of 0/25 in a game in which over 400 runs were scored, was one of the advantages the Aussie drew despite the defeat.
“Tonight we saw Brar play his first game, as I said, which is good. We needed to get a second spinner into the rotation. He’s come in. He’s done a beautiful job tonight. It was really good to see Lockie Ferguson get into the tournament. It may not have been his night, but he was going to get in the tournament at some point, so he pulled the trigger on and did it.”
Marcus Stoinis, whose brilliant, undefeated 62 off 22 balls propelled Punjab to a 222/4, also received special praise from him.
The victory over the top-ranked team thrilled Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara, who claimed it gave his team breathing room.
With 12 points, the Royals are currently in third place, tied with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are ahead due to a higher net run rate. Punjab Kings, however, are one point ahead.
“It’s tough coming here and playing against the table toppers, but it’s a good win. It’s always good to win and get some breathing room,” Sangakkara said.
He praised the team’s batting performance and singled out impact substitute Shubham Dubey for his 31 off 12 balls.
“I thought Dubey today, coming in as an impact sub, it’s one of the hardest things to do because you don’t know if you’re playing, you don’t know. So mentally, he is exceptionally skillful to be able to keep that focus and go and bring the game to us. He went in at a tough position.”
After that, Donovan Ferreira finished the chase with a scorching 52 off 26 balls, leading the Royals home with an undefeated 77-run partnership with Dubey.
“Don today was outstanding. I thought Riyan’s small innings was exactly what we needed to bring the momentum back our way. So it was a collective effort,” he added.
