 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022; 3 years ago (2022) |
| First season | 2025 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Countries | India (1 team) Pakistan (1 team) UAE (2 teams) |
| Broadcaster | Zee (India) |
| Streaming partner | ZEE5 (India) |
| Official website | BaseballUnited.com |
 2025 Baseball United season | |
Baseball United is aprofessional baseball organization in West Asia and South Asia. It began with two showcase games in Dubai in November 2023.[1] Thewinter league's first season with four teams representing cities inIndia,Pakistan, and theUnited Arab Emirates is scheduled to start in 2025.[2]
The United International Baseball League (UIBL) was founded on July 26, 2022, with a mission of bringing professional baseball to India, Pakistan, and the Middle East.Baseball Hall-of-FamersMariano Rivera andBarry Larkin were announced as founding stakeholders. Rather than build new baseball fields, the league plans to redevelop existing cricket fields into baseball diamonds.[3]
On August 18, 2022, the UIBL announced that it would play nine of its inaugural games at theDubai International Cricket Stadium.[3] In November, the UIBL rebranded as "Baseball United."[4]
Baseball United partnered withPakistan Federation Baseball to organize the West Asia edition of the 2023Asian Baseball Cup inIslamabad.[5] In April 2023, active MLB shortstopElvis Andrus joined the league's ownership group.[6] The league has since announced other current and former MLB players as "co-owners," includingRonald Acuña Jr.,Albert Pujols,Félix Hernández, andRyan Howard.[7][8]
On May 15, 2023, the league announced its first franchise as theMumbai Cobras.[9] FormerMajor League Baseball (MLB)All-StarChris Sabo was named the team's first manager.[10]
On May 30, 2023, theKarachi Monarchs was announced as the second team in the league. The Monarchs name references both theKarachi Kings cricket team and theKansas City Monarchs of theNegro leagues.[11][12] On June 5, 2023, Karachi appointed Hall of FamerAdrian Beltre and former MLBMost Valuable PlayerMiguel Tejada as its general manager and manager, respectively.[13] On August 4, 2023, Baseball United announced theDubai Wolves and Abu Dhabi Falcons as the third and fourth baseball teams.[14] The two teams were renamed the Arabia Wolves and the Mid East Falcons, respectively, in 2024.[15]
The league'sdraft took place on October 23, 2023. Karan Patel, a right-handedpitcher who reachedDouble-A in theChicago White Sox organization,[16] was selected first overall by the Mumbai Cobras. Former MLB players drafted includedRobinson Canó,Bartolo Colon,Pablo Sandoval,Didi Gregorius, andAndrelton Simmons.[17]
On March 26, 2024, the league announced a fifth franchise based inRiyadh, Saudi Arabia that did not have a nickname but eventually team was not formed[18] On August 1, 2024, the league announced that its first full season is scheduled from October 23, 2025 to November 23, 2025. The four teams would each play 12 games. The timing and length of the season is similar to existingwinter league baseball competitions. Additionally, the league stated that the first four announced teams would compete in the Baseball United Cup from February 22, 2025 to March 1, 2025. The cup has around robin format, followed by a four-team playoff.[2] Baseball United also announced it would organize theBaseball United Arab Classic, an international baseball tournament between various West Asian teams, scheduled for November 7 to November 10, 2024 in Dubai.[19][20]
The inaugural season of Baseball United involving the four founding franchises will be held in November to December 2025.[21]
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There are five teams (representing cities from various Asian countries) affliated with Baseball United.[2][22] The four founding franchises will compete in the inaugural 2025 season.
| Team | City | Country | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai Cobras | Mumbai |  India | 2023 |
| Karachi Monarchs | Karachi |  Pakistan | |
| Arabia Wolves | Dubai |  United Arab Emirates | |
| Mid East Falcons | Abu Dhabi |
The 6,500 seaterBaseball United Ballpark atThe Sevens inDubai serves as the venue of the league.
Baseball United has implemented various rule changes from traditional baseball, most notably the "moneyball", which allows the batting team to score double the amount of runs batted in during a single play, providing that the "moneyball" was used during the at-bat. During the Baseball United All-Star Showcase in November 2023,Pablo Sandoval hit the first "six-run home run" in baseball history during a "moneyball" at bat, after he hit what would normally be a three-run homer off of Indian pitching prospect Saurabh Gaikwad, scoringDillon Thomas andAndrelton Simmons.[23][24][25] Some commentators have floated the "moneyball" as a potential rule change forMajor League Baseball, while others have criticized it and dismissed it as a "gimmick."[26][27]
Critics, primarily in the United States, have stated that the formation of Baseball United and its partnerships with prominent MLB players is an example ofsportswashing.[28][29]