Summary of this article
Fakhar Zaman was suspended for two matches in PSL 2026 after being found guilty of ball tampering
PCB announced the sanction on Tuesday, citing a Level 3 code‑of‑conduct breach
Zaman denied wrongdoing but match referee Roshan Mahanama imposed the maximum penalty
Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman has been suspended for two matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 after being found guilty of ball tampering. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the sanction on Tuesday.
The PCB said that Zaman violated regulations related to changing the condition of the ball. While the batter denied wrongdoing, match referee Roshan Mahanama handed him the maximum penalty for a first Level 3 offence. Zaman can appeal the decision.
The controversy occurred during Lahore Qalandars’ match against Karachi Kings on Sunday, with Karachi needing 14 runs in the final over. Lahore captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, and Haris Rauf were seen handling the ball together near the run-up before the over began.
On-field umpire Faisal Afridi intervened and inspected the ball. After discussing with the second umpire Shahid Saikat, the officials concluded that the ball had been deliberately tampered with, awarding five penalty runs to Karachi and replacing the ball.
With the revised target down to nine off six balls, Abbas Afridi struck a four and a six to seal a four-wicket win for Karachi in 19.3 overs.
