Punjab Kings face a major rebuild of their support staff ahead of IPL 2027 after fast-bowling coach James Hopes and fielding coach Brad Haddin stepped down from their roles. Both former Australia cricketers are moving into head coaching positions in Australian domestic cricket.
New assignments in Australia
Hopes, who served as Punjab Kings' fast-bowling coach for the past two seasons, has been appointed head coach of Queensland and the Brisbane Heat. He had moved to the franchise alongside Ricky Ponting from the Delhi Capitals a couple of seasons ago.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who was the team's fielding coach, will take charge of New South Wales as head coach. Haddin had joined Punjab Kings as an assistant coach in 2022 and was retained from the previous coaching regime.
A third vacancy already open
The exits follow the earlier departure of spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, who left the franchise to join the Indian men's team setup in the same role. That leaves head coach Ponting with at least three specialist positions to fill before the IPL 2027 auction in December.
The franchise acknowledged the duo on Instagram, posting: 'Thank you for the wisdom, the passion and the memories in the den.' Ponting is expected to have the final say on the new appointments.
The coaching changes come after a difficult IPL 2026 campaign in which the Shreyas Iyer-led side lost six consecutive games to miss the play-offs, despite starting the season with six straight wins - a sharp reversal from their run to the 2025 final.
Sources: IPL 2027: James Hopes, Brad Haddin Exit Punjab Kings For Australian Head Coaching Roles - Rediff, James Hopes and Brad Haddin Leave Punjab Kings: What It Means for IPL 2027 - myKhel
New assignments in Australia
Hopes, who served as Punjab Kings' fast-bowling coach for the past two seasons, has been appointed head coach of Queensland and the Brisbane Heat. He had moved to the franchise alongside Ricky Ponting from the Delhi Capitals a couple of seasons ago.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who was the team's fielding coach, will take charge of New South Wales as head coach. Haddin had joined Punjab Kings as an assistant coach in 2022 and was retained from the previous coaching regime.
A third vacancy already open
The exits follow the earlier departure of spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, who left the franchise to join the Indian men's team setup in the same role. That leaves head coach Ponting with at least three specialist positions to fill before the IPL 2027 auction in December.
The franchise acknowledged the duo on Instagram, posting: 'Thank you for the wisdom, the passion and the memories in the den.' Ponting is expected to have the final say on the new appointments.
The coaching changes come after a difficult IPL 2026 campaign in which the Shreyas Iyer-led side lost six consecutive games to miss the play-offs, despite starting the season with six straight wins - a sharp reversal from their run to the 2025 final.
Sources: IPL 2027: James Hopes, Brad Haddin Exit Punjab Kings For Australian Head Coaching Roles - Rediff, James Hopes and Brad Haddin Leave Punjab Kings: What It Means for IPL 2027 - myKhel