Dharamshala, May 18 (IANS) Punjab Kings (PBKS) are shifting their complete focus to their final league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season following an afternoon encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the HPCA Cricket Stadium, Dharamshala.

Despite strong phases during the match, a series of shifting momentums and early hurdles in the chase resulted in a sixth consecutive defeat, leaving the side's playoff progress dependent on upcoming net run rate outcomes and external results.

With one match left in the league stage, the team remains on 13 points. While the recent run of results has challenged their position, the mathematical window for the post-season remains open as the squad enters the final week of round-robin fixtures.

Fast bowling coach James Hopes pointed directly to on-field execution and the difficulty of maintaining consistency in the T20 format as the primary factors in the recent stretch.

“I think what derailed our campaign was an inability to take control of momentum in games. Every time we looked like doing it, we did something to hurt ourselves or trip ourselves up. T20 is a game where it’s very easy to get on winning streaks, and it is very easy to go the other way. We’ve had both emotions in this tournament, and now we need a week to regroup the boys.”

Hopes addressed the adjustments made to the playing eleven over the last few weeks, emphasizing that the coaching staff has maintained a structured approach to selection.

“Every change that we've made has been very measured. They’ve been thought out with the opposition in mind, and thought out with trying to keep our core structure—like Arshdeep, Chahal, and our top four—and trying to make changes around them to complement what they do. It just hasn’t worked out in the last few weeks, and that’s the way this game goes sometimes.”

Despite the tough run, Hopes stressed that the squad's work ethic remains high, and the immediate priority is rebuilding absolute confidence before the final match.

“The boys are training well, the boys are planning well. It's just that we get into moments where we get the game back our way and right now it’s just not happening. The boys have got to regroup, stay positive, and they’ve got to believe. At the moment, it’s going to be about just instilling that belief back into them.”

Looking ahead to the final league fixture against Lucknow Super Giants, Hopes gave a candid assessment of the task at hand.

“We’ve got ourselves in this position, so we do rely on some other teams. We haven’t taken the opportunities in the last few weeks to get ourselves assured of a top-four spot, and now we are where we are and there’s no hiding behind it. Yes, we could have played better, but now we need to regroup and ensure we are playing to our full potential next Saturday.”

Punjab Kings will travel to Lucknow next week to face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday, in their final league match of the tournament.

--IANS

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