Defending champions Lahore Qalandars have found themselves in huge trouble in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026, with allegations of ball-tempering rocking the side. At the centre of controversy is batter Fakhar Zaman, who has been charged with a Level 3 offence: “changing the condition of the ball”.
“Lahore Qalandars’ Fakhar Zaman has been charged with a Level 3 Offence under Article 2.14 of the applicable Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, for violating Article 41.3 of the HBL PSL 11 playing conditions, which makes it an offence to take any action which changes the condition of the ball,” the PCB said in an official statement.
“Fakhar denied the charge levelled against him during a disciplinary hearing led by the Match Referee Roshan Mahanama. Another hearing is set to take take place within the next 48 hours after which the Match Referee will share his verdict. The incident occurred during the second innings of the match,” the statement stated further.
The incident took place during a high-pressure match against Karachi Kings on Sunday in Lahore. With Karachi needing 14 runs in the final over, Lahore players, including Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf, were seen exchanging and handling the ball after a short on-field discussion.
On-field umpires immediately intervened, suspecting that the ball’s condition had been altered. After inspection, they awarded five runs to Karachi and replaced the ball. A five-run award turned out to be fruitful for Karachi as they claimed a four-wicket win with three balls to spare.