Mohsin Naqvi left agitated and fuming as PSL faces heat for ball tampering row and security issues: Report

Mohsin Naqvi's frustration with the PSL has escalated following recent controversies, including a hotel security incident and a ball-tampering row.

Mohsin Naqvi’s frustrations over the controversies around the Pakistan Super League have reportedly gone beyond the ball-tampering row, with the PCB chairman said to be particularly unhappy about the hotel-security incident involving Lahore Qalandars players.

Mohsin Naqvi, PCB chairman. (AFP)

The development comes at a sensitive time for the league. PSL 2026 is already being staged under unusual restrictions, with matches in Lahore held without spectators and the tournament running in a reduced format due to wider fuel and travel disruptions in Pakistan amid the West Asia crisis. The PCB had taken visible steps to tightly control the event. Instead, the league has found itself dealing with back-to-back controversies, both off-field and on-field.

The hotel-security matter had surfaced before the latest match controversy. Reports from Pakistan said Lahore Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza were accused of violating security protocol at the team hotel in Lahore by taking visitors to a room despite objections from security staff. That issue had already put the spotlight on discipline and event management in a tournament where security and control were supposed to be central.

Pressure grows on PCB after back-to-back controversies

It was in that context that a PCB source was quoted by PTI as saying: “Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is not happy in particular about the hotel incident since the PCB is taking great care to ensure the event is held without an incident and has even disallowed spectators for the league matches at the Gaddafi stadium for the time being.”

The pressure on the board rose further after Lahore Qalandars’ match against Karachi Kings on Sunday. The controversy unfolded just before the final over of Karachi’s chase, when 14 runs were needed for victory. Umpires checked the ball, ruled that its condition had been altered, imposed a five-run penalty on Lahore and changed the ball. That cut Karachi’s target to nine, and Karachi Kings completed a four-wicket win with three balls remaining.

The disciplinary follow-up quickly made the matter even bigger. Lahore batter Fakhar Zaman was charged with a Level 3 offence under the PSL Code of Conduct for allegedly altering the condition of the ball. Fakhar denied the charge before match referee Roshan Mahanama. Shaheen later distanced himself from the matter publicly and said the franchise would review the footage.

For the PCB, the issue is now larger than a single over or a single match. The administration appears agitated by the negative publicity the league is attracting. “The board is unhappy about the PSL gaining traction for the wrong reasons, starting with the incident of the ball colour turning pink during the first match of the league,” the source added.

This year’s PSL had already begun under administrative strain, with the board cutting venues and limiting crowd access while asking supporters to watch from home. Against that backdrop, the hotel-security issue and the ball-tampering allegation have combined to create exactly the kind of negative attention the board had been trying to avoid.