 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 |
| First season | 2024 |
| Countries | India (1 team) Pakistan (1 team) United Arab Emirates (2 teams) |
| Official website | www |
Baseball United is a professional baseball 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, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates is expected to take place in 2024.
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 and Barry Larkin were announced as founding stakeholders. Rather than build new baseball fields, the league plans to redevelop existing cricket fields into baseball diamonds. [1]
On August 18, 2022, the UIBL announced that it would play nine of its inaugural games at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. [1] In November, the UIBL announced it would rebrand to "Baseball United". [2]
Baseball United partnered with Pakistan Federation Baseball to organize the West Asia edition of the 2023 Asian Baseball Cup in Islamabad. [3] In April 2023, active MLB shortstop Elvis Andrus joined the league's ownership group. [4]
On May 15, 2023, the league announced its first franchise as the Mumbai Cobras. [5] Former MLB All-Star Chris Sabo was named the team's first manager. [6]
On May 30, 2023, the second team of the league was announced as the Karachi Monarchs. The Monarchs name references both the Karachi Kings cricket team, as well as the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues. [7] League officials said that the Monarchs and Cobras are expected to be the league's biggest rivals, noting the fierce India–Pakistan cricket rivalry and likening it to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. [8] On June 5, 2023, Karachi appointed former major leaguers Adrian Beltre and Miguel Tejada as its general manager and manager, respectively. [9] 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. [10]
The league's draft began on October 23, 2023. Karan Patel, a right-handed pitcher who reached Double-A in the Chicago White Sox organization, was selected first overall by the Mumbai Cobras. Prominent former MLB players drafted included Dominicans Robinson Canó and Bartolo Colon, Venezuelan Pablo Sandoval and Curaçaons Didi Gregorius and Andrelton Simmons. [11]
The four teams that will take part in the first season are: [12]
| Team | City | Country | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai Cobras | Mumbai |  India | 2023 |
| Karachi Monarchs | Karachi |  Pakistan | 2023 |
| Dubai Wolves | Dubai |  UAE | 2023 |
| Abu Dhabi Falcons | Abu Dhabi | UAE | 2023 |
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while also having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.
The United Arab Emirates men's national cricket team is the team that represents the United Arab Emirates in international cricket. They are governed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) which became an Affiliate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989 and an Associate Member the following year. Since 2005, the ICC's headquarters have been located in Dubai.
Mohammad Hafeez is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer. He was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, and had a major role in the final, where he scored an unbeaten innings of 57. He retired from Test cricket after the third and final match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in December 2018, departing the ground for the final time in white clothing to a guard of honour from his teammates. On 3 January 2022, he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, ending a career that spanned more than 18 years.
The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium is a cricket ground located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The $23 million stadium, built by Concor, opened in May 2004, with its inaugural first-class match being an Intercontinental Cup fixture between Scotland and Kenya in November of that year. The stadium was one of the dedicated venues for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Rameez Shahzad is a professional cricketer who has represented the United Arab Emirates national cricket team since 2005. He is a right-handed middle-order batsman. He and his father Shehzad Altaf are the first father-son pair to play for the United Arab Emirates.
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 other two being Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah and Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It has seating capacity for 25,000 spectators, but is expandable to accommodate 30,000 spectators. It is a part of the Dubai Sports City in Dubai. The architect of this project was the Canadian architect, Awsam Matloob. The stadium was one of the dedicated venues for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, it hosted Semi Final 2 and the Final on November 11, 2021 and November 14, 2021 respectively.
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a men's Twenty20 cricket league contested by six city-based franchise teams. The league was founded in 2015 by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Instead of operating as an association of independently owned teams, the league is a single entity in which each franchise is owned and controlled by the investors.
The UAE Royals is a tennis team based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that competed in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). It is one of four charter franchises that participated in the IPTL's inaugural 2014 season where it finished as runners-up. The team started its 2015 season with marquee signings in Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic.
The 2014 UAE Royals season is the inaugural season of the franchise playing in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
Chirag Suri is an Indian-born cricketer who represented the United Arab Emirates national cricket team between 2017 and 2023. In January 2021, Suri was named the vice-captain of the UAE team.
Zahoor Khan Urdu: ظہور خان; born 25 May 1989) is a Pakistani-born cricketer who plays for the United Arab Emirates national cricket team.
The Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy was a 20-over cricket franchise tournament held in the United Arab Emirates. It took place between 4 and 6 October 2018 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Six franchise teams took part in the first edition. The International Cricket Council (ICC) sanctioned the competition in June 2018.
T10 cricket or Ten10 cricket is a short form of cricket. Two teams play a single innings, which is restricted to a maximum of ten overs per side, with the game lasting approximately 90 minutes.
The 2021 Pakistan Super League was the sixth season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2015. It was initially scheduled to be the second season held entirely in Pakistan in February and March 2021, after the previous seasons were held elsewhere due to the security situation there.
The International League T20 (ILT20) also endorsed as the DP World ILT20 for sponsorship reasons is a T20 cricket tournament being played in the United Arab Emirates. It is sanctioned by Emirates Cricket Board.
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) is a professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team. that competes from the inaugural season of International League T20 (ILT20). Originally announced in 2022, the team is based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Ali Aamer Naseer is a cricketer who plays for the United Arab Emirates national cricket team. He is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls left-arm fast-medium.
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.
