Pakistan Super League captains with the trophy.© X/Twitter
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 started on Thursday with a match between Shaheen Afridi-led Lahore Qalandars and Marnus Labuschagne-led Hyderabad Kingsmen. Lahore Qalandars won the match by 69 runs after posting 199/6 in 20 overs in the first innings. A day before the opening match, all eight captains attended a press conference where Karachi Kings captain David Warner appeared irritated with fellow captains.
The incident occurred while Warner was speaking about his team’s chances. As he was answering, Marnus Labuschagne (Hyderabad Kingsmen), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars), Mohammad Rizwan (Rawalpindi), Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi), and Saud Shakeel (Quetta Gladiators) were discussing something among themselves and laughing. Warner paused and said, “What’s wrong? Sorry, gentlemen, we have got school kids here.”
Even former Pakistan player Kamran Akmal was unhappy with the press conference.
“PSL is your brand. The organisation of the PSL captains’ meet was done poorly. You should have brought two players each. It seemed like a khichdi. The overseas players could not understand the questions. Shaheen Afridi had to act as the translator. This is not a club tournament, this is the PSL. What they can manage, they should. The captains are looking at their phones in the pre-tournament press conference,” Kamran Akmal said on The Gameplan.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 is being held without spectators due to the ongoing West Asia crisis. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated that the country’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has requested citizens to “restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis,” according to ESPNcricinfo.
The tournament has also been reduced from six venues to just two, with all matches now scheduled in Lahore and Karachi. Additionally, the opening ceremony in Lahore was called off.