PSL or Gully Cricket? Controversy Hits Pakistan's T20 League After Marnus Labuschagne Raises Concerns Over Ball Bizarrely Turning Red

PSL 2026: How can a white cricket ball turn red during a match? Sounds bizarre, but it happened during the Pakistan Super League 2026 opener in Lahore. Hyderabad Kingsmen skipper Marnus Labuschagne spoke about the ball colour changing in the PSL opener. Labuschagne admitted that he has never seen anything like this before. 

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‘What’s going on? The ball is red'

“I mean, 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 that,” Labuschagne told reporters at the post-match press conference.

“I have seen a few times that there's something on someone's bat and it comes onto the ball, or it hits the pad and takes a bit of the paint off the pad, but I have never seen the clothes, so I am sure they will sort it out in the next few games,” he added.

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Qalandars Start With a Win

It was a comfortable win for the Qalandars who have got their campaign off to a perfect start. Qalandars won by 69 runs as Fakhar Zaman was the star of the show with the bat. Batting first, Lahore posted 199/4 in the allotted twenty overs. Apart from Zaman's 39-ball 53, Haseebullah Khan also chipped in with an unbeaten 40-run knock off 28 balls.

Chasing 200 to win, the Kingsmen never looked to be in the game as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza and Haris Rauf picked up two wickets each as Lahore bundled out Hyderabad for 130 in 20 overs.