The Pakistan Super League (PSL) faced trolling after an embarrassing incident during the opening match of the 2026 season between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal did not hold back from criticizing the extremely poor quality of the Hyderabad team kit.
During the match between Lahore and Hyderabad at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, March 26, the white cricket ball unexpectedly turned pink in the first few overs. The unusual color change was caused by the transfer of the red-maroon color from the Hyderabad Kingsmen jersey to the ball.
Usually, cricketers rub the ball on their clothes to maintain its shine, but this time due to the poor quality of the cloth, the color got washed away.
Back home some kits were painted in Dupatta Lane – Kamran Akmal makes fun of Pakistan Super League
Speaking on a popular YouTube channel, Kamran Akmal made fun of the Pakistan Super League and the Hyderabad Kingsmen franchise. He compared their official attire to cheap dyed clothes obtained from local street markets.
Kamran Akmal was quoted by The Times of India as saying, “I actually thought Hyderabad Kingsman had their kits dyed in some dupat area at home, the way they dye white clothes at cheap prices.”
(I swear, I thought Hyderabad Kingsmen had got some desi dupatta colored in their kit, the same ones who give new color to white clothes cheaply.)
‘What’s going on? The ball is red’ – Marnus Labuschagne
Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne was shocked by the chaotic situation during the match and requested the umpires to replace the off-colour ball. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Labuschagne said he had never experienced such a problem.
“I said to the umpires after the second over, ‘What’s happening? The ball is red.’ It must be from clothing or something like that,” said the Australian batsman.
He said, “I have not seen anything like this before, I have seen occasions when something on the bat hits the ball, or when it hits the pad and takes off a bit of paint. But I have never seen anything like this with clothes. I am sure they will sort it out in the next few matches.”
Lahore Qalandars won brilliantly
Despite the chaotic pink ball controversy making headlines, Lahore Qalandars remained focused and produced a brilliant performance against the Hyderabad Kingsmen.
Shaheen Afridi led his team to a big win of 69 runs. Lahore Qalandars made a strong score of 199 runs at the loss of six wickets. Fakhar Zaman was the top scorer with 53 runs, while Hasibullah Khan scored a crucial 40.
In the second innings, Haris Rauf took two important wickets, while Shaheen Afridi and Mustafizur Rahman took one wicket each as Hyderabad Kings were bowled out for 130 runs. Labuschagne scored 26 runs in 22 balls with the help of three fours, while other batsmen failed to cross the 20-run mark.
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