As they get ready to take on Rajasthan Royals following a week-long break in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, Punjab Kings’ fast-bowling coach James Hopes has expressed confidence in the team’s readiness and discussed their strategy for the crucial encounter.
Hopes said Punjab Kings have not lost the momentum during the break and are confident of putting it across the already out of contention Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Addressing the week-long break in the middle of the tournament and its impact on the team and players, Hopes shared that the players are back in the groove and are feeling refreshed. He added that there will not be any major change in the squad and their style of playing, with players ready to continue from where they left off.
“I think there was some concern about how the team was going to come back together. But the way we have trained the last few days, it feels like we did not miss a beat. And if anything, the guys came back a little bit fresher from being able to spend a couple of days at home,” said Hopes in the pre-match press conference here on Saturday.
When asked if the team will bring any change in their strategy now, Hopes added, “I think we will go in with a pretty similar structure. Even if there are some different players in those roles, the way we are going to play is going to be very similar… It was an unexpected break, but we are trying to look at the flip side of it.”
Hopes also highlighted the fearless attitude of the young Indian players in both Punjab Kings and other teams, acknowledging their impact on their respective teams and the tournament as a whole.
Lauding their performances, he said, “The young Indian players, at the moment, do not fear anything. They are almost scarier to play against because you don’t have a lot of information on them to start with, and they come out with zero fear. We have seen it with a few teams this tournament, including us, that by playing some young players, they are dominating the tournament.”
Punjab Kings will now play the remainder of their home games at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. When asked if the pitch conditions in the stadium would favour the Kings, the fast bowling coach stressed the dynamic nature of the squad.
He said, “We are heavily favoured towards pace, but we do have some spinners in our squad that we’re more than willing to play if the pitch offers that. We are very confident in the depth we’ve got. We tried to put together a squad that could play in all different conditions.”
Punjab Kings will face Rajasthan Royals in an early afternoon clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday. Playing an early afternoon match straight up after the break could be a big issue, considering the summer heat. The Punjab Kings’ players are coming from different places, and adjusting to the weather could be an issue as they were playing in the hilly Dharamsala before that.
