PSL 11: Fans react as ball turns pink during Qalandars-Kingsmen clash

LAHORE: The ball used for the first innings of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 match between Lahore Qalandars and Hyderabad Kingsmen turned pinkish in colour, sparking confusion among cricket fans.

The unusual occurrence came to light during the second over of Qalandars' innings when the ball appeared pinkish in the Kingsmen's fielders' hands, and was quickly noticed by cricket enthusiasts, who flocked to social media to share their opinions.

While some fans speculated that the pinkish colour of the ball was due to Kingsmen's fielders rubbing it against their maroon trousers, which left their dye, while a few argued that it was due to the lighting of the venue.

"Am I tripping or the ball [colour] in this match is pink?" a cricket fan, bearing the username _fatimaaaaaaaa_, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"The Kingsmen maroon kit has made the ball pink," another cricket fan, bearing the username asif38689, wrote on the microblogging website, accompanied by a grimacing face emoji.

For the unversed, as per the rules, the ball can be changed if players from either side raise a complaint to the umpires or the match official themselves deem the ball unsuitable for play based on the conditions.

The appearance of the ball, however, did not bother the defending champions as they piled up a massive total of 199/6 in their 20 overs, courtesy of left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman's half-century.

Fakhar remained the top-scorer for the Qalandars with 53 off 39 deliveries, studded with 10 fours.

He was supported by fellow opener Mohammad Naeem, who made a 19-ball 30, while Haseebullah Khan and Sikandar Raza bolstered the total at the backend.

The wicketkeeper batter made an unbeaten 40 off 28 deliveries, while Raza played a blistering 24-run cameo off just 10 deliveries.