James Hopes and Brad Haddin have left the Punjab Kings coaching staff, ESPNcricinfo reports. The pair are currently in charge of Queensland and New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield.
James Hopes and Brad Haddin have left the Punjab Kings coaching staff, ESPNcricinfo reported on Thursday 8 October 2026. The story says the pair are "currently in charge of Queensland and New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield".
| At a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Departures | James Hopes and Brad Haddin, both leaving the PBKS coaching staff |
| Roles at PBKS | Reports say Hopes was fast-bowling coach and Haddin fielding coach |
| State roles | Hopes: Queensland head coach. Haddin: New South Wales head coach |
| Head coach | Ricky Ponting; reports say he will play a key role in choosing replacements before the auction |
| IPL 2026 | PBKS finished fifth: 15 points from 14 matches (7 wins, 6 defeats, 1 no-result), net run rate +0.309 |
What happened
ESPNcricinfo reports that Hopes and Haddin have departed the Punjab Kings coaching staff. Secondary reports say both stepped down from their respective roles after working alongside Ricky Ponting at the franchise, with Hopes serving as fast-bowling coach and Haddin as fielding coach.
Hopes signed a three-year contract to return to his home state as Queensland head coach in June 2026. Haddin was appointed New South Wales head coach earlier this year. Neither story gives a stated reason for the departures beyond their current Sheffield Shield commitments.
Where they go from here
Hopes, a former Australia allrounder (84 ODIs, 12 T20Is), played for Punjab in the inaugural IPL season in 2008. Reports say he was a bowling coach with Delhi Capitals under Ponting and followed him to PBKS ahead of the 2025 season.
Haddin, a former Australia wicketkeeper, had been with Punjab for several years. Reports say he was initially brought in by Trevor Bayliss and retained by Ponting, having previously worked with Ponting at SunRisers Hyderabad.
Why it matters
Punjab Kings, captained by Shreyas Iyer and coached by Ponting, finished fifth in the IPL 2026 table. No successors have been named yet. Secondary reports say the franchise will now rebuild parts of its coaching staff, with Ponting playing a key role in deciding the replacements before the auction.
Read the full story on ESPNcricinfo. ESPNcricinfo.
Drafts are where leagues are won. BuildXI is a fan game, not affiliated with the IPL or BCCI, where you run your own draft from IPL history: spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, pick one player from each and play fourteen league matches. The target is 14-0.