Hundreds stuck in long lines as Pakistan Super League ticket snag slows return of spectators

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Fans had to wait a month to watch Pakistan Super League games in person after the Twenty20 cricket tournament was impacted by the Iran war.

They had to wait a few extra hours Tuesday because of a ticketing problem.

A day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the return of fans to stadiums for the remaining four games of the nation's premier cricket event, ticket distribution hit a snag.

“Printing of tickets was done in Lahore and it was supposed to come to Karachi through cargo at 1 p.m., but the flight got canceled,” league CEO Salman Naseer told reporters.

So, hundreds of fans waited in line for several hours ahead of the first playoff match — between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi in the southern port city of Karachi — until tickets arrived.

“We received lots of complaints, but the problem was that we got very short time," Naseer said. "Prior to this only the final was announced (for fans) and our whole focus was on Lahore.

"Passion of fans is there … My only fear is that spectators will get the tickets, but they might not able to watch the complete game.”

Tickets went on sale four hours before the qualifier started and around 5,000 spectators were inside the National Bank Stadium when Islamabad captain Shadab Khan won the toss and elected to field against Peshawar, led by Babar Azam.

“I came here to support Peshawar Zalmi, especially Babar bhai (brother),” Jawad Ahmed said as he waited in a long queue to get his ticket. “Had we got more matches in Karachi, we could have got more opportunities to see players in action. Now they have allowed one game, but you can see our excitement. The rush is in front of you.”

And Babar didn't disappoint Peshawar fans. He hit an aggressive 103 off 59 balls, including 12 fours and four sixes, in his team's total of 221-7. Babar's second century this season was enough to secure Peshawar's place in Sunday's final as Islamabad got bowled out for 151 in 18.4 overs to lose by 70 runs.

Pakistan’s biggest sports spectacle had started behind closed doors with fans asked to stay home because of soaring fuel prices related to the Iran war.

The government had urged people to restrict travel. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi also said it wouldn’t be right to have 30,000 fans attending cricket matches every day while the government is asking the public to stay home.

Permission for spectators to attend the four playoff games was granted just 24 hours before the qualifier between Peshawar and Islamabad started. The final will be at Lahore next Sunday.

Last week, Sharif approved a request from franchise owners to open the doors to the final before giving approval to the remaining three playoff games on Monday.

Islamabad faces the winner of Wednesday’s eliminator between Hyderabad Kingsmen and Multan Sultans on Friday for the second spot in the final, with all three of those matches in Lahore.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Fans cheer during the Pakistan Super League Qualifier cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Fans show their tickets as they wait for the opening of the National Stadium for the Pakistan Super League Qualifier cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Fans cheer during the Pakistan Super League Qualifier cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

A view of the National Stadium, where the Pakistan Super League Qualifier cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United is held with spectators, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Fans cheer during the Pakistan Super League Qualifier cricket match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

NEW YORK (AP) — The roller-coaster ride for AI stocks is snapping lower again Tuesday and weighing on Wall Street.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6% even though the majority of stocks within the index rose. The drops for stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry dragged the Nasdaq down 1.2%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 107 points, or 0.2%.

The weakness began in Asia, where Samsung Electronics tumbled 6.9% in Seoul. The tech giant gave a preliminary look at its performance for the second quarter, and the numbers were strong. Samsung Electronics said it expects to say its operating profit surged roughly 1,800% from a year earlier.

Analysts called the numbers surprisingly good, but they still weren’t enough for investors after its stock came into the day having well more than doubled in the year so far.

On Wall Street, AI stocks have been under similar pressure in recent weeks on worries that their prices shot too high and that AI may not produce enough productivity and profits to make all the investments in chips and data centers worth it.

Micron Technology fell 7.8% and was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500. Nvidia sank 1.4% and was just behind Micron in influence. Because the AI boom has made it the largest stock on Wall Street by value, a 1.4% move for Nvidia has more effect on the S&P 500 than a similar move by any other company.

SpaceX, which owns the xAI business, fell 6% in its first trading after getting included in the Nasdaq 100 index.

Outside of tech, Vertex Pharmaceuticals fell 2.3% after saying it agreed to buy Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $85 per share in cash. Crinetics, which develops therapeutics for endocrine diseases, soared 98.8%.

Stocks also generally felt pressure from a rise in oil prices after the British military said a tanker traveling in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile and caught fire.

Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault. That upset hopes that the war in Iran may be winding down and that the Strait of Hormuz may fully reopen to oil tankers bringing crude to customers worldwide from the Persian Gulf.

Brent crude, the international standard, rose 2.7% to $73.94.

Higher oil prices put upward pressure on inflation, and Treasury yields climbed higher in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.51% from 4.48%

High yields worldwide have been rattling investors after oil prices burst above $100 per barrel earlier in the summer because of the war. The worry is that high inflation may force the Federal Reserve and other central banks to hike interest rates. High rates can keep a lid on inflation, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for all kinds of investments.

In stock markets abroad, South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 4.9% because Samsung Electronics alone makes up more than a quarter of the index.

Other Asian indexes also fell, including a 2.1% drop for Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, while European indexes were mixed.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Michael Pistillo, left, and Federico DeMarco work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Michael Pistillo works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

After ringing the opening bell from the White House, United States President Donald Trump is seen on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in New York, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)