Baseball United is a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

league in the Middle East and South Asia. It began with two "showcase" games in Dubai in November 2023. The first season with four teams representing cities in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

is expected to take place in 2024.

History

The United International Baseball League was founded on July 26, 2022, with a mission of bringing professional baseball to India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Baseball Hall-of-Famers

Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most ...

and

Barry Larkin Barry Louis Larkin (born April 28, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player. He played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2004. He briefly played in the minor leagues before making hi ...

were announced as founding stakeholders. Rather than build new baseball fields, the league plans to redevelop existing cricket fields into baseball diamonds. On August 18, 2022, the UIBL announced that it would play nine of its inaugural games at the

Dubai International Cricket Stadium The Dubai International Stadium, formerly known as the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is mainly used for cricket and is one of the three main cricket stadiums in the country, the o ...

. In November, the UIBL announced it would rebrand to "Baseball United". Baseball United partnered with Pakistan Federation Baseball to organize the West Asia edition of the 2023

Asian Baseball Cup The Asian Baseball Cup is a baseball tournament organized by the Baseball Federation of Asia. The Asian Baseball Cup is a second-level tournament to the Asian Baseball Championship. In 2012, the Asian Baseball Cup was divided into two separate divis ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

. In April 2023, active MLB shortstop

Elvis Andrus Elvis Augusto Andrus Torres (born August 26, 1988) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and ...

joined the league's ownership group. On May 15, 2023, the league announced its first franchise as the Mumbai Cobras. Former MLB All-Star

Chris Sabo Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

was named the team's first manager. On May 30, 2023, the second team of the league was announced as the

Karachi Monarchs The Karachi Monarchs are a professional baseball club from Karachi, Pakistan. Founded in 2023 as a member of Baseball United, the Karachi Monarchs are the first professional baseball team in Pakistan's history. Roster The Monarchs selected 20 ...

. The Monarchs name references both the

Karachi Kings Karachi Kings ( ur, ; sd, ڪراچي ڪنگز) (abbreviated as KK) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, P ...

cricket team, as well as the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

of the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

. League officials said that the Monarchs and Cobras are expected to be the league's biggest rivals, noting the fierce

India–Pakistan cricket rivalry The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the most intense Sports rivalry, sports rivalries in the world. The matches between India and its neighbour are known for its intensity. It is considered as one of the biggest matches in the world, ...

and likening it to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. On June 5, 2023, Karachi appointed former major leaguers

Adrian Beltre Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...

and

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...

as its general manager and manager, respectively. On August 4, 2023, The Baseball United announced Dubai Wolves and Abu Dhabi Falcons as their latest two baseball teams representing Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The league's

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

began on October 23, 2023. Karan Patel, a right-handed pitcher who reached Double-A in the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

organization, was selected first overall by the Mumbai Cobras. Prominent former MLB players drafted included Dominicans

Robinson Canó Robinson José Canó Mercedes (; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Dieg ...

and

Bartolo Colon Bartolo may refer to: *Bartolo, California *Bartolo Nardini, Italian grappa company *Dr. Bartolo, a figure in Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro *Bartolo, the highest mountain in the Desert de les Palmes Moun ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Pablo Sandoval Pablo Emilio Sandoval Reyes (born August 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball third baseman for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, ...

and

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

Didi Gregorius Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius (born February 18, 1990) is a Dutch professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Philadel ...

and

Andrelton Simmons Andrelton A. Simmons (born September 4, 1989) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago Cubs. D ...

Teams

The four teams that will take part in the first season are:

References

{{reflist 2022 establishments in the United Arab Emirates Sports leagues established in 2022

United United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

Professional sports leagues in the United Arab Emirates

History

Teams

See also

References