The Pakistan Super League (PSL 2026) got underway on March 26 with the Lahore Qalandars taking on the new franchise Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. And controversy struck the league with the first match itself.

The match between the Lahore Qalandars and the Hyderabad Kingsmen at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore unexpectedly developed into a 'pink-ball duel.' The Hyderabad Kingsmen were mocked after the white ball turned pink because their jerseys left their color on the ball.

When Marnus Labuschagne's Hyderabad was asked to bowl first, the ball became considerably discolored. The dye from the players' shirts appeared to migrate to the white ball while they were attempting to maintain its sheen, giving it a rosy hue.

Not only fans on social media trolled the Hyderabad Kingsmen, but former Pakistani cricketers joined in as well. One of those cricketers was Kamran Akmal, who took a brutal dig at PSL for the jersey fiasco.

Akmal taunted the PSL and the Hyderabad franchise for poor-quality kits and stated that they got them dyed at some dupatta lane back home for bargain rates.

"Kasam se, mujhe laga Hyderabad Kingsmen ne apne kits kisi desi dupatta lane se color karwaya hai, vahi jo saste mein safed kapdon ko naya rang chadha dete hain. (I genuinely thought Hyderabad Kingsmen got their kits dyed at some dupatta lane back home, the kind where they recolor white clothes for bargain rates),” Akmal stated on YouTube show The Game Plan. 

Cricketers frequently polish the ball using their kits or a towel to keep it shiny and dry, allowing bowlers to grip it easily and generate swing. However, this episode has caused severe concerns, with many describing it as an embarrassment for the PSL.

Questions are being raised about how such low-quality kits were allowed, allowing jersey color to migrate to the match ball.

Marnus Labuschagne, the captain of the Hyderabad Kingsmen, also discussed the incident in the post-match press conference, stating that it was his first encounter with it.

"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 this before; I've seen occasions where something on a bat comes onto the ball or when it hits the pad and takes a bit of paint off. But I've never seen this happen with clothing. I'm sure they'll sort it out in the next few games," a baffled Labuschagne told reporters.