In a unique incident during the opening match of PSL 2026 between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Lahore Qalandars, the team’s maroon kit led to an unexpected ball change after 15 overs of the first innings. The ball appeared to be smeared with the maroon dye from the Kingsmen’s kit, making it difficult for batters to track.
The discolored ball was visibly noticeable from the media box as early as the end of the powerplay. Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne raised the issue with the umpires after the second over, questioning the unusual red tint on the ball.
“I did say to the umpires after the second over, ‘What’s going on? The ball is all red,’” Labuschagne stated post-match. He speculated that the dye might have come from their kit or possibly from contact with the pads or bat. He assured that the umpires did not object to the Kingsmen continuing with their kit during the tournament.
Lahore Qalandars’ Haris Rauf commented that the ball might have picked up the color from the stadium seats, which are green and white, though he noted he would have requested a ball change if he had been batting that night. “We cannot confirm if it was the kit or the seats. The ball flew out of the ground quite a few times. When it became hard to see, I would have had it changed,” Rauf explained.
Following the match, Kingsmen congratulated the Qalandars on winning their first pink-ball game on X (formerly Twitter). The Kingsmen endured a heavy 69-run defeat in their PSL debut.
