LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Hyderabad Kingsmen continued their remarkable turnaround in the Pakistan Super League with a thumping eight-wicket win over Multan Sultans in the playoffs as fans gradually started to return to stadiums on Wednesday.
Hyderabad, led by Marnus Labuschagne of Australia, started its debut season in Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 event with four straight losses before winning five of its last six league games to qualify for the playoffs.
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Hyderabad Kingsmen Mohammad Ali, center, celebrates after taking wicket during the Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Fans show their tickets as they arrive for Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Fans cheer the Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Fans cheer the Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Hyderabad will take on three-time champion Islamabad United on Friday for a spot in Sunday's final against 2017 champion Peshawar Zalmi, led by Babar Azam.
Peshawar routed Islamabad by 70 runs in the qualifier at Karachi on Tuesday on the back of Babar’s second century this season.
A day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the return of fans to stadiums for the remaining four PSL games, ticket distribution hit a snag at Karachi before National Bank Stadium got a sizable crowd midway through the second half of the qualifier on Tuesday.
The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore also didn’t pack to its capacity on Wednesday, but still thousands of fans came to watch the game for the first time this season.
Hyderabad pace trio of Akif Javed, Mohammad Ali and Hunain Shah claimed six wickets between them while Saim Ayub and Glenn Maxwell also picked up a wicket each as Multan got restricted at 159-9. Pakistan test captain Shan Masood made an unbeaten 69, but rest of the Multan batting crumbled against pace and spin.
Hyderabad cruised to 162-2 in 15.2 overs with opening batter Maaz Sadaqat scoring unbeaten 64 off 33 balls and wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan hitting eight fours and three sixes in his aggressive 64 off 35 balls.
Pakistan’s biggest sports spectacle had started behind closed doors last month 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.
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.
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Hyderabad Kingsmen Mohammad Ali, center, celebrates after taking wicket during the Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Fans show their tickets as they arrive for Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Fans cheer the Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Fans cheer the Pakistan Super League first eliminator cricket match between Multan Sultans and Hyderabad Kingsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party, an online joke that drew millions across India, gathered for the first time in the national capital on Saturday, taking the social media movement off screens and into its biggest real-world test yet.
The protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, marks the movement’s first foray into street politics after weeks of dominating social media feeds and news headlines, attracting millions of online followers and widespread support among young Indians.
Hundreds of mostly young Indians gathered in the heart of New Delhi’s protest zone near Parliament, some with placards and cockroach masks. How many ultimately would join remained unclear, making the event an early test of whether the movement can channel its online popularity into a broader grassroots support around growing frustration among young Indians over education, jobs and economic prospects.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the online movement, arrived in the capital from the U.S. on Saturday to participate in the protest. Police laid steel barricades at arrivals at New Delhi's international airport.
Dipke said in a social media post that police granted permission to the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, to hold the protest, saying, “Cockroaches gather at Jantar Mantar.”
CJP organizers used social media to rally supporters for Saturday’s march, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The demand grew out of an exam irregularity controversy in May that quickly became a broader outlet for frustration over India’s education system and limited job opportunities.
Supporters chanted slogans including, “Cockroaches are coming, Dharmendra Pradhan is going!”
Participants were encouraged to bring India’s national flag and a book, which organizers said symbolized right to education and equal opportunity for all. Organizers also urged demonstrators to remain peaceful and avoid any confrontations with police.
“Time to turn this tiny joke into a revolution,” the official CJP account on X posted Friday.
The CJP emerged only three weeks ago to become an unlikely outlet for discontent among supporters who proudly call themselves “cockroaches.”
India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant likened critics and some unemployed youth to cockroaches during a May hearing, sparking backlash among frustrated young Indians. Dipke, a political communications strategist and Boston University student, used the insult as inspiration for a parody political party. Within a week of launching a website and social media accounts, CJP's Instagram page had amassed more than 15 million followers.
The party has turned the cockroach into a wry badge of endurance and political articulation. Videos and memes lampooning unemployment, corruption and political dysfunction have drawn millions of views online. Parody CJP accounts also have adopted the cockroach as a political symbol and use memes, mock campaign slogans and satirical commentary.
The movement’s tongue-in-cheek messaging blends self-deprecating humor with political criticism. Supporters jokingly describe themselves as unemployed, perpetually online and shut out of meaningful influence. Beneath the humor lies a broader criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, as CJP supporters argue that ordinary Indians, particularly young people, have been left with fewer opportunities.
Young people in India make up more than a quarter of the population but face limited job opportunities, rising unemployment and growing disillusionment with traditional politics. Many young voters also are critical of Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, citing concerns over rising religious polarization, widening inequality and mounting economic pressures.
The movement's skeptics, particularly supporters of Modi’s party, dismiss the phenomenon as little more than a social-media gimmick. They argue the movement’s online popularity may not translate into street mobilization and that its rapid rise is likely fleeting.
The group's rise echoes a similar trend across South Asia of youth movements born out of social media playing a central role in anti-government protests, including uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and unrest in Nepal.
The movement still faces significant hurdles. Over the past decade, Indian authorities under Modi have sought to stamp out protests against his government, including demonstrations against a controversial citizenship legislation and yearlong farmers' protests.
Some protest movements also have faced legal action against organizers and activist arrests, which is part of what critics describe as a broader effort by authorities under Modi to suppress dissent.
Associated Press journalist Shonal Ganguly in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Abhijeet Dipke, center, founder of Cockroach Janta Party shows the autobiography of Bhim Rao Ambedkar as he comes out at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Saurabh Das, center, spokesperson of Cockroach Janta Party waits for the arrival of Abhijeet Dipke, founder of CJP at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Abhijeet Dipke, center, founder of Cockroach Janta Party shows the autobiography of Bhim Rao Ambedkar as he comes out at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Abhijeet Dipke founder of Cockroach Janta Party shows the autobiography of Bhim Rao Ambedkar as he comes out at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Security personnel stand guard before the arrival of Abhijeet Dipke, founder of Cockroach Janta at Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
