Marnus Labuschagne shames PSL on captaincy debut for the Hyderabad Kingsmen
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Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne made his debut as a captain in the PSL for the Hyderabad Kingsmen and slammed the team management for the humiliating 'pink ball' incident in the Pakistan Super League 2026.
Australian all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been appointed as the skipper of the Hyderabad Kingsmen side in the PSL. They kick-started their campaign after losing the opening game against defending champions Lahore Qalandars.
Marnus Labuschagne turns up the 'pink ball' controversy in the PSL
The first-ever game in the history of the PSL and Hyderabad Kingsmen have already entangled itself in a massive controversy. The incident was witnessed during the opening match of the competition, between the Lahore Qalandars and the Hyderabad Kingsmen.
Kingsmen skipper Marnus Labuschagne, the Australian batting all-rounder, saw the ball turn pink midway through the game and after noticing that several times, he lodged a complaint with the umpire. He immediately stated that the colour was off the team's jersey.
"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," Marnus Labuschagne told reporters at the post-match press conference. He also added that he had never seen such an incident in his entire professional career.
Hyderabad Kingsmen owners get all cheeky after massive blunder on PSL debut
Though disappointed by the franchise's managerial skills and poor kit arrangement, the Australian star Marnus Labuschagne showed great hope that the franchise owners would resolve the issue quickly.
"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," Marbus Labuschagne added.
However, the Hyderabad Kingsmen got all cheeky with their social media post as they congratulated their rivals in the first game for winning their first-ever pink-ball PSL match. "Congratulations to the opposition on winning their first pink-ball game," the franchise's official account posted.
Congratulations to the opposition on winning their first pink-ball game. 🩷
— Hyderabad Kingsmen (@HHKingsmen) March 26, 2026
Who are the Hyderabad Kingsmen owners guilty of allowing cheap stuff in the PSL?
The Hyderabad Kingsmen have been humiliated by the PSL management, and in front of their fans, after the ball turned pink after picking the colour of the jersey from the Hyderabad Kingsmen. The PSL franchise is owned by the FKS consortium, led by their owner Fawad Sarwar.
The group went on to acquire the franchise for a whopping worth of PKR 1.75 billion in January 2026. The franchise is owned by the same group that also owns the Chicago Kingsmen in the USA Minor League Cricket.
To safeguard their reputation, the team will have to make changes to the team's kit so that the trouble that they faced during the first match is not seen in the further games.
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