Ball changes colour mid-match in PSL:Bizarre visuals from Pakistan league leave Marnus Labuschagne startled

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 11 kicked off with the opening game between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Lahore Qalandars, but the match made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Actually, in the first innings, while Hyderabad Kingsmen were bowling, the ball changed colour during the game, shifting more toward the ‘red’ shade from white. It left the players startled, but the viewers, as well as the players, then found that it was not a miracle but rather an operational blunder that caused shame to the PSL on the global stage. How did the ball change colour, and how did players react to the incident? Let’s know more about it in the following story. How did ball change colour during PSL game between Qalandars and Kingsmen? Apparently, the players and viewers concluded that it was the kit of the Hyderabad Kingsmen that caused the bizarre incident. Seemingly, the colour of their jersey came off and got reflected onto the ball. In case you’re wondering how jersey colour got to the ball, it is a common practice for players to rub the ball onto their jerseys to make it shine and enable swing. However, instead of making headlines for better bowling, the changed colour of the ball got the most attention from the fans. The issue made so much buzz that even the Australian player and Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne was also asked about the incident, and he was still taken aback by what unfolded on the field during PSL’s inaugural game. ‘I haven’t seen anything like that’: Marnus Labuschagne astounded by incident After heavy trolling that the Pakistan Super League and Hyderabad Kingsmen suffered for the incident, the Kingsmen skipper also commented on the ‘colour change’ incident. While addressing the media after the match on Thursday, Marnus Labuschagne said to the media, “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.” “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 further added. Lahore Qalandars clinched victory in the first game of PSL 11 The opening match of PSL 2026 saw Lahore Qalandars win by 69 runs. While batting first, Lahore posted 199/4 in 20 overs. The highlight of the 1st innings was the 53-run knock played by opening batter Fakhar Zaman. Haseebullah Khan also played a cameo of an unbeaten 40-run knock off 28 balls to help Lahore reach past the 190-run mark. Also Read: PSL to be held without spectators, opening ceremony cancelled Ubaid Shah, Sikandar Raza and Haris Rauf then scalped two wickets each as Lahore bundled out Hyderabad for 130 in 20 overs, winning the match by 69 runs. Shaheen Afridi and Mustafizur Rahman also took one wicket each. Notably, the PSL 2026 matches are being played behind closed doors due to the West Asia crisis. The matches have also been restricted to just two cities, Lahore and Karachi. Moreover, the T20 tournament has lost several overseas players to the Indian Premier League (IPL) after many players were named as replacements for the upcoming 19th edition of the competition.