Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne made his PSL debut as captain for Hyderabad Kingsmen and criticized the team management for the outrageous ‘pink ball’ incident in the Pakistan Super League 2026.
Australian all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been appointed captain of the Hyderabad Kingsmen team in the PSL. They started their campaign by losing the opening game against defending champions Lahore Qalandars.
Marnus Labuschagne raises ‘pink ball’ controversy in PSL
The first game in the history of PSL and Hyderabad Kingsmen has already been embroiled in major controversy. The incident was witnessed during the opening match of the competition between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen.
Kingsmen captain and Australian batting all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne lodged a complaint with the umpire after seeing the ball turn pink midway through the game. He immediately said that the color had come off from the team’s jersey.
“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. “I have never seen anything like this before,” Marnus Labuschagne told reporters at the post-match press conference, adding that he had never seen such an incident in his entire professional career.
Hyderabad Kingsmen owner is very angry after huge mistake in PSL debut
Although disappointed with the franchise’s managerial skills and poor kit arrangements, Australian star Marnus Labuschagne expressed great hope that the franchise owners would resolve the issue quickly.
“I’ve seen situations where something on the bat hits the ball, or when it hits the pad and a little bit of paint comes off. But I’ve never seen anything like that with clothes. I’m sure they’ll sort it out in the next few matches,” Marbus Labuschagne said.
However, Hyderabad Kingsmen got cheeky with their social media posts as they congratulated their rivals for winning their first pink-ball PSL match in the first game. “Congratulations to the opposition team on winning their first pink ball game,” posted the franchise’s official account.
Congratulations to the opposition on winning their first pink ball game.
– Hyderabad Kingsmen (@HHKingsmen) 26 March 2026
Who is the Hyderabad Kingsmen owner to blame for allowing cheap stuff in PSL?
Hyderabad Kingsmen have been humiliated in front of the PSL management and their fans after the ball turned pink after their choice of jersey colour. The PSL franchise is owned by the FKS Consortium, led by their owner Fawad Sarwar.
The group acquired the franchise in January 2026 for a whopping price of PKR 1.75 billion. The franchise is owned by the same group that also owns the Chicago Kingsmen in USA Minor League Cricket.
To save their reputation, the team will have to make changes in the team kit so that the problems they faced during the first match are not seen in the future matches.
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