Punjab Kings to bid farewell to co-coach Brad Haddin and assistant coach James Hopes Ahead of the 2027 IPL season, Punjab Kings are expected to undergo significant changes in their coaching staff.
Their departures follow their spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, who retired at the conclusion of the 2026 season, leaving head coach Ricky Ponting looking for replacements.
Haddin was serving as the Punjab Kings’ fielding coach while Hopes was the franchise’s fast-bowling coach. Both of them are reported to have informed the franchise of their decisions sometime ago. It is also understood that the two Australians could join the Big Bash League.
The changes will see Punjab Kings seek replacements for at least three coaching vacancies ahead of the IPL 2027 season. Bahutule was the only coach to depart at the end of IPL 2026, moving to India’s team as a spin-bowling coach.
The other big loss is Hopes, who had come into the Punjab Kings entourage along with Ponting from Delhi Capitals, while Haddin was retained as part of the coaching staff from the last regime. Ponting could now undergo a complete overhaul of his support staff ahead of the upcoming season.
Now, Ponting faces the responsibility of helping pick the new coaching set up. The franchise has already started looking for options to replace Shane Warne, with the new appointments set to be made before the IPL 2027 auction prep begins in earnest.
As some known names has left the coaching setup, PBKS will hope the replacement can provide a different perspective ahead of IPL 2027.
The real question now is that who Ponting will pick to give his support staff a fresh start and whether the new coaching team can help PBKS change their fortunes.