PSL 2026: The Pakistan Super League 2026 kicked off on March 26 in Lahore, where the opening match between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen caused a stir after an unusual incident: the cricket ball changed color upon contact with dye from the Kingsmen's jersey during the first innings.
It is common for bowlers to rub the ball on their jerseys to help it shine. Hyderabad Kingsmen bowlers did this, causing maroon dye from their jerseys to transfer onto the white ball and make it appear pinkish.
Fans noticed the change and criticized the Hyderabad Kingsmen on their official social media accounts. After the match ended, Hyderabad Kingsmen's captain Marnus Labuschagne addressed the incident, saying he hadn't witnessed anything like it before in his career.
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The Australian batter is also hopeful that these issues will be resolved soon before the upcoming matches.
Labuschagne said, “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 that,” during the post-match press conference.
“I have seen a few times that there's something on someone's bat and it comes onto the ball, or it hits the pad and takes a bit of the paint off the pad, but I have never seen the clothes, so I am sure they will sort it out in the next few games,” he said.
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Lahore Qalandars win
Lahore Qalandars won by 69 runs. Fakhar Zaman scored 53, while Haseebullah Khan added 40 off 28 balls, helping the team reach 199.
Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza, and Haris Rauf took two wickets each. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mustafizur Rahman took one each as Hyderabad Kingsmen were bowled out for 130.
The matches of the ongoing season are being held behind closed doors owing to the geopolitical tensions in West Asia. These matches are being held at just two venues- Lahore and Karachi. Many overseas players pulled out of this tournament to play in the IPL, as they were picked as replacements for injured players.