Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal trolled Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Hyderabad Kingsmen mercilessly as their maroon kit led to ball turning pinkish in the season opener against Lahore Qalandars on March 26. Kingsmen skipper Marnus Labuschagne was shocked to see the ball change colour in just two overs and asked umpires to change it. A few overs later, the umpires eventually changed it. The incident led to widespread trolling on social media and Akmal didn't hold back either at what transpired at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
"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. (Kasam se, mujhe laga Hyderabad Kingsmen ne apne kits kisi desi dupatta lane se color karwaya hain, vahi jo saste mein safed kapdon ko naya rang chadha dete hain)," Akmal said in conversation with former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali.
Labuschagne was asked about the incident in the post-match press conference. He was shocked to see the poor quality of the kits and hopes that they are changed ahead of their Sunday clash to prevent a similar incident.
"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," Labuschagne said after the 69-run loss to Shaheen Afridi’s Lahore Qalandars.
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Fuel crisis and ill-planned captains’ press conference
The PSL 2026 opener took place behind closer doors amid fuel crisis due to war between Iran and Israel-US affecting Strait of Hormuz. As a result, there are only two venues where the entire PSL will be played. Earlier, PSL organisers were criticised for an unprofessional press conference where there weren’t ample mics for all captains and there was just one camera.