# Baseball United

Baseball United is a professional baseball organization in the West Asia and South Asia. It began with two showcase games in Dubai in November 2023. The league's first season with five teams representing cities in India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates is scheduled to start in 2025.

## History

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-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.
On August 18, 2022, the UIBL announced that it would play nine of its inaugural games at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In November, the UIBL rebranded as "Baseball United."
Baseball United partnered with Pakistan Federation Baseball to organize the West Asia edition of the 2023 Asian Baseball Cup in Islamabad. In April 2023, active MLB shortstop Elvis Andrus joined the league's ownership group. The league has since announced other current and former MLB players as "co-owners," including Ronald Acuña Jr., Albert Pujols, Félix Hernández, and Ryan Howard.
On May 15, 2023, the league announced its first franchise as the Mumbai Cobras. Former Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Chris Sabo was named the team's first manager.
On May 30, 2023, the Karachi Monarchs was announced as the second team in the league. The Monarchs name references both the Karachi Kings cricket team and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues. On June 5, 2023, Karachi appointed Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre and former MLB Most Valuable Player Miguel Tejada as its general manager and manager, respectively. On August 4, 2023, Baseball United announced the Dubai Wolves and Abu Dhabi Falcons as the third and fourth baseball teams. The two teams were renamed the Arabia Wolves and the Mid East Falcons, respectively, in 2024.
The league's draft took place 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. Former MLB players drafted included Robinson Canó, Bartolo Colon, Pablo Sandoval, Didi Gregorius, and Andrelton Simmons.
On March 26, 2024, the league announced a fifth franchise based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that did not have a nickname. On August 1, 2024, the league announced that its first full season is scheduled from October 23, 2025 to November 23, 2025. The five teams would each play 12 games. The timing and length of the season is similar to existing winter 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 a round robin format, followed by a four-team playoff. Baseball United also announced it would organize the Baseball United Arab Classic, an international baseball tournament between various West Asian teams, scheduled for November 7 to November 10, 2024 in Dubai.

## Teams

Five teams (representing cities from various Asian countries) are expected to compete in the first season:
| Team | City | Country | Joined |
| Mumbai Cobras | Mumbai | India | 2023 |
| Karachi Monarchs | Karachi | Pakistan | 2023 |
| Arabia Wolves | Dubai | UAE | 2023 |
| Mid East Falcons | Abu Dhabi | UAE | 2023 |
| Riyadh | Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | 2024 |

## Criticism

Critics, primarily in the United States, have stated that the formation of Baseball United and its partnerships with prominent MLB players is an example of sportswashing.