Just the first game of the season, and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 already has its first controversy. The clash between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore unexpectedly turned into a “pink-ball contest,” leaving fans stunned. Australia all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne, representing Hyderabad Kingsmen, even lodged a complaint with the umpire after noticing that colour from his team’s jersey was rubbing off onto the white ball, gradually turning it pink and later red.
It is common for cricketers to rub the ball on their clothing to maintain shine on one side. However, Labuschagne admitted he had never experienced colour transfer from clothing onto the ball in his professional 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 Australian star expressed hope that the franchise owners would resolve the issue quickly.
“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.
Marnus Labuschagne on the change of ball color
“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’ve never seen anything like pic.twitter.com/VHSXouHZYx
— SheRALI (@Sher__Ali) March 26, 2026
As Lahore Qalandars sealed victory, the Hyderabad Kingsmen shared a cheeky post on X (formerly Twitter), congratulating their opponents for winning the first “pink-ball game” of the PSL.
“Congratulations to the opposition on winning their first pink-ball game,” the franchise’s official account posted.
Congratulations to the opposition on winning their first pink-ball game.
— Hyderabad Kingsmen (@HHKingsmen) March 26, 2026
The incident has caused major embarrassment for the PSL, with fans questioning how franchise owners could allow such poor-quality kits to be used in a professional tournament.