PSL 2026 has been marred with controversies. (Photo Credits: X)
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 clash between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi was called off without the toss taking place due to inclement weather. Now, the visuals from Gaddafi Stadium have gone viral on social media where the groundstaff is seen struggling keeping up with the weather in Lahore. Initially, the toss was delayed due to the worsening conditions. Later, the strong winds made it tough to keep the covers in place.
Multiple staff members were seen slipping as the covers were dragged across the ground.
The game was called off 30 minutes before the cut-off time for a five-over match, with both sides forced to share a point each despite the hard work that the ground staff had put in.
As a result of this wash out, Peshawar Zalmi moved to three points from two games, while United opened their account for the season. Zalmi are now at second place, ahead of Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, while United rose to sixth, above Rawalpindi Pindiz.
One of the most controversial moments came when the standard white-ball turned pink. The unexpected colour change, reportedly caused by dye released by a low‑quality team jersey.
Already marred with controversies, PSL suffered another blow when a highly publicised ball‑tampering incident involving Lahore Qalandars’ batter Fakhar Zaman, who was seen on camera allegedly altering the condition of the ball during a match against the Karachi Kings was unveiled.
This was Islamabad United’s second match in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026. They had earlier began the campaign against Multan Sultans but suffered a defeat as the side chased down a target of 172 by 5 wickets in under 19 overs. Batting first, the United posted 171/8 in 20 overs. Mark Chapman smashed 40 off 21 deliveries while Faheem Ashraf smashed 26 off 17.
Momin Qamar picked up three wickets for 24 runs in three overs. Later, Sultans rode on Josh Phillippe’s 35-ball 55 and captain Ashton Turner’s unbeaten 43 off 28 to chase down the target. Salman Irshad and Shadab Khan picked up two wickets each.
Peshawar Zalmi were also featuring in their second game of the tournament. They had earlier defeated Rawalpindiz after chasing down a target of 215 by 5 wickets. Pindiz had rode on Yasir Khan’s 83 off 46 and a late surge from Sam Billings who smashed 18* off 8 to post 214/4 in 20 overs.
For Peshawar Zalmi, Mohammad Haris, Michael Bracewell and Abdul Samad played a crucial role in the side’s run chase. Haris struck 47 off 28 as he provided a perfect start while Bracewell remained unbeaten at 35 off 17. Samad struck 33 off 11 to help the side go over the line.
Multan Sultans will be locking horns with Hyderabad Kingsmen in Lahore in the next match of the tournament. The encounter is scheduled to take place in Lahore on Wednesday (April 1).
Hyderabad Kingsmen Squad: Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne(c), Usman Khan(w), Syed Saad Ali, Irfan Khan, Hassan Khan, Hammad Azam, Maheesh Theekshana, Riley Meredith, Akif Javed, Sharjeel Khan, Shayan Jahangir, Rizwan Mehmood, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Tayyab Arif, Hunain Shah, Asif Mehmood
Multan Sultans Squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Steven Smith, Ashton Turner(c), Shan Masood, Josh Philippe(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Peter Siddle, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shehzad Gul, Momin Qamar, Atizaz Habib Khan, Muhammad Ismail, Awais Zafar, Muhammad Shahzad, Lachlan Shaw, Faisal Akram, Delano Potgieter, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Arshad Iqbal, Tabraiz Shamsi
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