PSL 2026 is in the news for a major controversy in the match played between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars on March 29. Karachi Kings won the match by 4 wickets, but the match is in the news for something else.
Pakistan Cricket Board charges Fakhar Zaman with Level 3 offence after Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars clash
Lahore’s Fakhar Zaman is accused of ball tampering, which is a serious charge. This incident occurred in the second innings. Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Fakhar Zaman were seen near the bowler’s run-up, handling the ball one by one.
PCB said that,
“Lahore Qalandars’ Fakhar Zaman has been charged with a Level 3 Offence under Article 2.14 od 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,”
🚨 BIGGEST HUMILIATION FOR PSL AND PAKISTANI FANS 🚨
Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi did the ball tampering on live camera & got penalized by 5 runs
PSL is a league where the ball gets pink and now the ball gets tempered on live cam 😆#MIvsKKR pic.twitter.com/U9MtHxmLOz
— Ajay Jadeja (@AjayJadeja171) March 29, 2026
The Pakistan fast bowler has accepted the charges against him,
Apart from Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, the Karachi Kings pacer has also been handed a fine of 10% of his match fee for Level 1 breach of Article 2.5. Notably, the Article 2.5 pertains to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match.”
Also, the Pakistan batter may get a one-match ban due to these charges. For some time, the match was stopped, as Shaheen Afridi had an argument with the umpire. After that, 5 runs were given for penalty. Fakhar Zaman denies all the charges. He said that he had not done anything wrong. The next hearing is scheduled in 48 hours.