In the first match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 on March 26, a kit issue led to a ball change for Hyderabad Kingsmen during their chase against Lahore Qalandars. The white Kookaburra ball was stained with dye from the Kingsmen’s maroon pads, which made it hard for batters to see.
The discoloration was visible from the media box as early as the end of the powerplay. Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne raised the issue with the umpires in the second over.
“I asked the umpires after the second over, ‘What’s going on? The ball is all red?’ It’s probably from the clothes. I haven’t seen anything like this before, but I’ve seen the ball change color from paint or something else. I’m sure we’ll fix it before our next game on Sunday,” Labuschagne said after the match, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Labuschagne confirmed that the umpires allowed the Kingsmen to continue using their kit for the tournament. On the other hand, Lahore Qalandars’ Haris Rauf speculated that the ball’s color might have come from the stadium seating. However, the seats at Gaddafi Stadium are green and white, making that explanation less likely. Rauf added that if he had been batting, he would have asked for a ball change.
“I don’t know who requested the ball change. It could be because of the kit or maybe the seats, as the ball went out of the ground a few times. As long as the batters could see the ball clearly, they continued. They might have changed it when it became hard to see. If I had been batting, I would have asked for a change right away,” Rauf stated.
In the match, Lahore Qalandars scored 199/6, led by opener Fakhar Zaman with 53 runs off 39 balls. For Hyderabad Kingsmen, Riley Meredith took 2/39, and Hassan Khan had 2/30. In response, Hyderabad was bowled out for 130, with Labuschagne being the top scorer at 26 runs. Ubaid Khan and Sikandar Raza from Lahore Qalandars each took two wickets, finishing with 2/27 and Rauf also took 2/22. Lahore Qalandars won the match by 69 runs.
