If playing behind closed doors was not enough, Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 had its first controversial moment in the first match itself involving Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The match turned into a “pink-ball contest”, because the colour of the ball turned to pink and later to red from white. Australia allrounder Marnus Labuschagne, playing for Hyderabad Kingsmen also brought this to the umpire’s notice after realising that the colour of his team’s jersey has rubbed off to the ball.
Players on the field rub the ball on their jerseys to maintain the shine on one side. But Labuschagne said he had never experienced such a thing in his cricketing career.
“I did say to the umpires after the second over, ‘What’s going on? The ball is red.’ It must be from the clothes or something like that. I haven’t seen anything like this before,” Labuschagne told reporters at the post-match press conference.
The Aussie cricketer was stunned to have such an experience and hoped the franchise owners will sort out the problem in the next matches.
“I’ve seen occasions where something on a bat comes onto the ball, or when it hits the pad and takes a bit of paint off. But I’ve never seen this happen with clothing. I’m sure they’ll sort it out in the next few games,” he added.
After Lahore Qalandars won the match, the Hyderabad Kingsmen shared a cheeky post on X, congratulating them for winning the first “pink-ball game” of the PSL.
The incident has left the PSL red-faced, with fans raising concerns over how franchise owners allowed such low-quality kits to be used in a professional tournament.
