New Delhi: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been facing an unusual controversy this season, with the match ball changing color once again, this time during the clash between Karachi Kings. In a strange retelling of an earlier incident, paint from the players’ kits was allegedly rubbed onto the white ball, turning it red during the game.See:
This is the second such incident in PSL 2026. Earlier in the opening match between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen at Gaddafi Stadium, the ball turned pink due to color transfer from the jerseys. The incident caught the players and officials by surprise, drawing widespread attention.Reacting to the incident, the Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Leboschgen had said, “I said to the umpires after the second over, ‘What’s going on? The ball is red.’ It should be made of cloth or something similar. I’ve never seen anything like that before,” before adding, “I’ve seen occasions where something on the bat comes to the ball, or when it hits the pad and takes a little bit of paint off. But I’ve never seen that happen with clothing. I am sure they will sort it out in the next few matches.”Amid the off-field chatter, Karachi Kings secured a crucial five-wicket win against Lahore Qalandars. In pursuit of 200, Captain David Warner Opened the innings with an unbeaten 63 runs, while Khushdil Shah played a brilliant innings of 44 runs off just 14 balls.Earlier, Abdullah Shafiq (62) and Fakhar Zaman (61) put on 110 runs to take Qalandars to 199/5. Despite a strong total, Karachi chased it down with eight balls to spare, keeping their playoff hopes alive.However, with the hair color issue resurfacing, questions are being raised over the quality of the kit and match conditions, adding an unusual twist to PSL 2026.
