Punjab Kings (PBKS) finished their IPL 2024 campaign with a four-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday (May 19).

Despite posting 214/5 on the board, PBKS lost the match with five deliveries to spare. They ended the tournament at the ninth spot with only five wins from 14 matches.

After losing to SRH, PBKS coach Sanjay Bangar talked about the challenges faced due to the unexpected departure of key England players for international duty in the critical phase.

Bangar revealed that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had initially assured the availability of their players for the entire IPL season, but changes in the tournament's schedule disrupted these plans.

"The ECB had made it clear that all the players will be available. It is just that it so happens that the tournament got slightly extended, I would say, because of multiple reasons. Everybody was in a similar position but we lost those English players," Bangar told reporters.

The departure of England players, including Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran, impacted several franchises as these players left for the T20I series against Pakistan, starting on May 22.

For Punjab Kings, this meant losing their captain, Sam Curran, among others. In Curran's absence, Jitesh Sharma took charge as captain for the first time on Sunday.

While Bangar said the absence of key international players was a significant setback, he admitted that it was not the sole reason for their underwhelming season.

"For us, even losing Livingstone with a niggle around his knee, the ECB pulling him out. Even KG (Kagiso Rabada) had an infection and he had to go back (to South Africa). Those things coupled together meant that when we came to the last two matches, we were short of players of international pedigree and experience. That hurt us but that is not the sole reason why our season was below par," he remarked.

(With TOI Inputs)