New Delhi, March 27 – As the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) opening match between the Lahore Qalandars and the Hyderabad Kingsmen unfolded at Gaddafi Stadium, all eyes briefly shifted from the players to the ball itself, which mysteriously began to take on a pink hue.
It appeared when fielders were polishing the ball against their clothing to preserve its shine, it led to an unusual complication: the maroon pigment from the Hyderabad Kingsmen’s jerseys began transferring onto the white ball, turning it into pink.
The clips from the incident quickly made social media light up with jokes, memes, and playful theories, as former cricketer Kamran Akmal poked fun at the bizarre sight, saying it looked like the kits had been dyed at some local dupatta colouring shop.
"I genuinely thought Hyderabad Kingsmen got their kits dyed at some dupatta lane back home, the kind where they recolour white clothes for bargain rates," Kamran Akmal on a YouTube channel.
A fan said, "Did they get knock-off kits instead of authentic ones? International league or gully-level experiment?"
A user said, "Spent all the money on buying the team i think." A fan even raised serious concerns and said that the dye could cause skin cancer after making contact with players' skin. "Think about the players skin. Gonna contract skin cancer and getting treated with the PSL money."
Another user wrote, "Very tough competition between third class quality of bowling and kit."
Following the Lahore Qalandars' victory, the Hyderabad Kingsmen took to X to offer a witty acknowledgement of the day's mishap. The franchise congratulated their opponents on winning what they jokingly dubbed the first "pink-ball game" in PSL.
"Congratulations to the opposition on winning their first pink-ball game," the franchise's official account posted.
Not only that, but after 4K video resolution was promoted, many viewers expressed dissatisfaction over the broadcast's poor quality, citing shaky cameras and fuzzy footage. Additionally, a lot of people complained about the audio and video being out of sync.
"After watching the opening match of the Pakistan Super League, the fan experience feels really disappointing. Poor camera quality, weak branding, and subpar audio production it just doesn’t match the standard fans expect. We deserve better," a fan said.
"Camera work is very ordinary. Stream should be bit brighter, very dull colour," a fan wrote on X.