PSL 2026 Opener Hit by Controversy as Marnus Labuschagne Raises Concerns Over Ball Colour Change

Marnus Labuschagne left surprised during the PSL 2026 opener on Thursday, March 26, when the ball started changing colour.

During the first innings, the white ball turned red after the Hyderabad Kingsmen rubbed it on their jerseys to keep it shiny, with the maroon colour from their kit transferring onto the ball and giving it a light pink, leaving everyone shocked.

Marnus Labuschagne surprised as ball changes colour during PSL 2026 opener

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Marnus Labuschagne, Hyderabad Kingsmen skipper, said he was surprised when the ball turned red and suspected it came from the players’ clothes. He added that while he had seen marks from bats or pads before, he had never seen it happen from jerseys and expected the issue to be resolved.

“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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Lahore Qalandars start PSL 2026 with a commanding 69-run victory

In the opening match of PSL 2026, Lahore Qalandars, scored 199/6 in 20 overs, thanks to a 53-run innings from Fakhar Zaman and an unbeaten 40 from Haseebullah Khan. For Hyderabad, Riley Meredith and Hassan took two wickets each, while Mohammad Ali claimed one.

Hyderabad could only manage 130 in response, with Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza, and Haris Rauf taking two wickets each, while Shaheen Afridi and Mustafizur Rahman picked up one each. The defending champions, Lahore Qalandars, won the match by 69 runs.

A few days ago, it was announced that all PSL 2026 matches will be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing West Asia crisis. The tournament has also been shortened to just two venues instead of the originally planned six, with all games now set to take place in Lahore or Karachi.

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