Dubai’s Baseball United has announced the Mumbai Cobras as the Middle East and South Asia’s first professional baseball league franchise.
Four teams will compete in Baseball United’s showcase tournament at the Dubai International Stadium in November, with three further teams set to be named in coming weeks.
Baseball United was announced in 2022, with the aim of inspiring the Middle East and South Asia to adopt baseball as a new sport of interest.
Baseball in Dubai
The ambitious league organiser said: “There are nearly two billion people across India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Nearly one billion of them are passionate cricket fans.
“At Baseball United, we believe there is an amazing opportunity to help those cricket fans fall in love with an exciting, entertaining, and culturally-relevant form of baseball.”
Baseball United will have a roster of more than 200 professional players from over 30 countries.
64 players will be selected for the league’s four teams, with the rest drafted ahead of a season scheduled for 2024.
Baseball United will include American players, but no details have been given on names, ages or experience levels.
Kash Shaikh, president and CEO of Baseball United, said: “Major League Baseball is over 150 years old and has so much romance and pageantry. And, you know, it’s one of the few American sports that have yet to be exported to this part of the world”.
Dubai-based Baseball United is partially backed by two of the games best-loved stars.
Mariano Rivera, a hall of famer who played 19 seasons with the iconic New York Yankees, a 12-time Major League Baseball all-star and Cincinnati Reds favourite are investors in the league.
Dubai will look to host more training camps, more international events and more private sector sports events as it looks to become a global sporting hub in the next 10 years.
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