Watch: Steve Smith smashes bat in dressing room after PSL 2026 Eliminator 1 dismissal

Steve Smith smashed his bat on the floor in anger as soon as he entered the dressing room after being dismissed by Mohammad Ali in the Eliminator 1 match of PSL 2026 between the Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen. 

As it is a knockout match, both of the teams have no second option but to claim a win tonight at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Steve Smith is one of the main batters for the Multan Sultans, but had to depart cheaply against the Hyderabad Kingsmen.

Steve Smith loses cool as frustration boils over in tense Eliminator clash

On the final ball of the third over of the first innings, Kingsmen pacer Mohammad Ali took Smith’s wicket. Maaz Sadaqat celebrated the dismissal of the batter aggressively after taking an easy catch. The aggressive celebration by the fielder of the opposing team might have triggered the Australian star batter.

A video shows that as soon as Steve Smith entered the dressing room, with both hands gripping the handle of the bat, Smith smashed the bat on the floor. He was visibly losing his mind out of anger. Cut to the field, Maaz Sadaqat, who hurls the ball on the ground as a part of his wicket-taking celebration, made an innocent face as he realized that the reason behind the fuming Steve Smith was him.

However, there is no doubt that the wicket of the Aussie batter was crucial for the Hyderabad Kingsmen. If the batter, who came to open the innings, could be very dangerous if he got to play a few more balls. He was dismissed for only 13 runs off 10 balls, supported by a couple of 4s.

Watch the moment when Steve Smith showed his anger in the dressing room:

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Steve Smith's early wicket dents Multan Sultans plan

Sultans could do much better batting first. The early dismissal of Steve Smith might have hurt their plans as well. The Ashton Turner-led team managed to score only 159 runs in exchange for 9 wickets. For the Kingsmen, Ali, Akif Javed, and Hunain Shah claimed a brace each, and one wicket each for Saim Ayub and Glenn Maxwell.

To win the match, Hyderabad Kingsmen, led by another Australian, Marnus Labuschagne, will have to score 160 runs in 20 overs, which may not be a cake walk for the team as the pitch of Gaddafi Stadium is infamous for spin bowlers. 

 Journeys to the play-offs

Multan Sultans, who were on top with four wins in the first five matches of the league stage, faltered in the second half. By losing three matches in their last 5 in the group stage, Sultans finished in third place on the points table after the initial round of the PSL 2026.

The scenario was completely different for the Hyderabad Kingsmen. The newly added team in the tournament was on the verge of elimination from the group stage. From there, they made a massive turnaround and eventually qualified for the play-offs. The performance of the team shifted drastically right after the inclusion of Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell joined the team late for the tournament. As the wise people say, better late than never. The experienced spin bowling all-rounder influenced the team’s performance with his presence and experience, and some valuable additions both with bat and ball.