Ball tampering in PSL 2026 again? Babar Azam involved in controversial moment
Published - 26 Apr 2026, 11:44 AM | Updated - 26 Apr 2026, 11:46 AM
Pakistan Super League 2026 (PSL 2026) staged another controversial moment. Babar Azam, who is known for maintaining calmness on the field, lost his cool during the match and got involved in a heated altercation with the on-field umpire during the Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars PSL 2026 match on April 25 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Babar Azam’s visible frustration was because of the umpire's repeated decision to change the ball during the second innings of the match, while the Peshawar Zalmi were defending their total of 199.
A heated moment during the Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars PSL 2026 clash
The heated incident took place in the middle during the fourth ball of the third over when the umpires decided to change the ball. Inside the first three overs of the innings, the umpires were forced to change the ball twice. They might have found something unusual with the balls, which is why they opted to take different balls.
Repeated ball changes caused a heated moment between the on-field umpire and the Zalmi captain, Babar Azam. He kept arguing with the umpire for about two to three minutes, against the decision to change the ball for the second time within a short period.
🚨 BABAR AZAM VS UMPIRES..!!! 🤯
— Abdullah. (@Abdullahh_56) April 25, 2026
- Babar Azam expressed frustration after the Umpires changed back to back balls.
- He was convincing the umpires that it was their fault that the ball is being damaged not ours. pic.twitter.com/EYKLja9Ed5
Babar was against the ball change
With the ball in hand and a finger pointed towards the umpire, Babar continued the altercation for a significant amount of time. It was clear that the Peshawar Zalmi would keep playing with the old ball. However, the umpire remained firm on his decision, and the Babar Azam-led team handed a new ball.
Before the heated exchange, the match was mostly controlled by the Peshawar Zalmi. In the first innings, they scored a well competitive total of 199 with the support of Babar’s 59-run knock off 45 balls and Michael Bracewell’s 83 off 45.
Lahore Qalandars got a good foundation in the start as one of their openers, Fakhar Zaman, remained unbeaten on the track for an unbeaten 58-run innings from 47 balls. Abdullah Shafique, Charith Asalanka, Sikandar Raza, and Daniel Sams added their values with the bat in the run chase. While Zaman played an anchor role, on the other front, the other batters got the license to play against the opposing bowler with aggressive approaches.
Babar Azam-led team lost the contest
With 3 more balls left, Lahore Qalandars reached the target total and won the match by 6 wickets. It was Peshawar Zalmi’s first defeat of the season, but they remained on top of the points table.
After the Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars match, the Zalmi is maintaining the number one position of the points table with 17 points and a net run rate of +2.324 from 10 matches. Multan Sultans, with 12 points from 9 games, are ranked second.
“The pitch played differently from the previous game. Lost some momentum, but the idea was not to lose wickets. Mendis stepped up and dominated spinners. As long as you're in the middle, you feel good. Played according to the situation. Wanted to rotate strike,” Babar Azam said after the match.
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