Following the shameful ball-tampering allegations against Fakhar Zaman in the match against Karachi Kings, the Pakistan batter has been handed the maximum penalty by the presiding match referee, Roshan Mahanama.
The Pakistan Super League was already facing some major blows in 2026. The season, which was expected to be one of the biggest seasons in the history of the PSL, has been reduced to two particular venues, with closed-door matches in the PSL. This is due to the ongoing deficit of resources in Pakistan following the war in the Middle East.
Fakhar Zaman banned from the PSL
Amid all these tensions, a terrible incident occurred in the PSL game between defending champions Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings. As the Kings needed 14 off the final over, the umpires found the Qalandars guilty of having altered the shape of the ball.
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This led them to impose a five-run penalty, and Kings went on to win the game. Following the victory, Fakhar Zaman was questioned by the Match Referee Roshan Mahanama, who accused him of tampering with the ball.
Fakhar had then refused any such accusations. The match referee went on to hand out the maximum possible penalty to Zaman. He has been banned for the two upcoming games.
Match referee Roshan Mahanama has handed out maximum penalty to Fakhar Zaman for the ball tampering during LQ v KK match. He has been banned for two matches.
— Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi (@ahsannagi) March 31, 2026
Fakhar Zaman to miss two upcoming PSL games
Fakhar Zaman, the Pakistan veteran, has been one of the most entertaining cricketers in the history of the competition. Playing for Pakistan, the batter was seen in some promising touch alongside Sahibzada Farhan when he was promoted to open the innings against Sri Lanka.
Zaman is among the few active players who played a role in Pakistan’s last ICC title triumph back in 2017 in the ICC Champions Trophy. Despite all this experience and a remarkable career, the batter hit rock bottom after being accused of such vile conduct.
He has been banned for the next two matches and hence would miss out on the upcoming games against the Multan Sultans on the 3rd of April and the former champions, Islamabad United, on the 9th of April.
Who can replace Fakhar Zaman for Lahore Qalandars?
The left-handed opening batsman being ruled out of the competition is a massive blow for the defending champions. However, the wicketkeeper batter Parvez Hossain Emon can be backed to open alongside Mohammad Naeem.
As Zaman’s replacement, Pakistani batter Tayyab Tahir can be brought into the XI. Tahir is an experienced campaigner who played 11 ODIs and 8 T20Is for Pakistan. However, the batter’s last matches were in April 2025 against New Zealand.
In this time of crisis, he could be the possible player to replace the veteran cricketer from Pakistan. The Qalandars made a winning start to their campaign but then lost their second match to the Karachi Kings.
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