Latest news with #MumbaiCobras
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Baseball looking to make an India pitch again
Mumbai: Along the E66 highway that connects Dubai with Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates stands a newly built baseball stadium. It caters to a sport popular in the United States and Japan, but largely alien in India. In November, though, the sporting oasis in the desert will be home to an Indian franchise set to compete in the inaugural season of Baseball United. The competition is the first professional baseball league that will look to engage the Middle East and South Asia region. Though still in the nascent stage of planning, the competition is slated to feature four teams – the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves and Mid East Falcons. The tournament was founded on an idea presented by former Major League Baseball (MLB) winner Barry Larkin, who is considered one of the greatest players of his generation. 'He came to me and said there's an opportunity for us to take baseball outside of the US,' Baseball United CEO and chairman Kash Shaikh told HT. 'It was our simple hypothesis that if we could inspire just some of these cricket fans to fall in love with America's pastime of baseball, a sport that you still hit, run, catch, throw – the same fundamentals as cricket – then we could really grow something special.' This is not the first time baseball has tried to make inroads in the Indian market. In 2008, Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh won a reality show called The Million Dollar Arm, and were signed up by MLB outfit Pittsburgh Pirates. Shaikh asserted that Baseball United, though looking to find a foothold in India, is not competing with cricket. Instead, they hope to provide another avenue for budding cricket players. 'Those 11 places in the Indian national (cricket) team are the most coveted spots across the country,' Shaikh said. 'But just because you aren't able to make it, does not mean you don't have the talent. There's a lot of levels of cricket, we wanted to create another pathway, another opportunity for people who love cricket to learn baseball. There is so much passion for sport in India, particularly with bat and ball.' At the moment, the organisers are still in search of potential owners of the four franchises, and Shaikh explained that they are also in talks with potential broadcast partners. 'We're just starting to explore selling the franchises now,' he said. 'A lot of folks from Hollywood and Bollywood have been reaching out to us about interest in the teams, particularly Mumbai.' As for the players themselves, a major chunk will be former MLB draft picks. There are expected to best players from Sweden, Lithuania, and Cameroon, to name a few, coming in as well. Around 10% of the spots in the four teams are for 'prospects from India, Pakistan, (West Asia), areas that are learning the game.' As it stands, Baseball United's first match of the season will be one that plays to the cricketing gallery – a clash between the Indian and Pakistani franchises. A first big splash in the Arabian desert.
Gulf Today
27-03-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Dubai to host Baseball United's inaugural season from November 14
Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, announced the official dates and schedule for its debut season. The league's first season will run from November 14 to December 14, with all games played at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai. After making history with three signature baseball events over the last three years, Baseball United will now commence the first professional baseball season in the history of the region. The season will feature the league's founding four franchises, the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves, and Mid East Falcons. The teams will each play nine regular season games ‑ facing each other three times each ‑ followed by a best of three United Series beginning December 12 to determine the league champion. Overall, 21 games will be played over 30 days at Baseball United's new ballpark in Dubai. 'Our team has worked so hard, for so long, to make this news official,' said Kash Shaikh, Baseball United Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder. 'We are so grateful for the support of our Dubai and UAE partners, our investors, and all the fans around the world who've helped make BU the most well-known internationally-based professional baseball league in the world. 'We've received all that support through several special events and big milestones since our launch in November of 2022. And now, we get to reward our fans with a full season. Everything starts small, but we believe this will be the beginning of a new chapter in baseball history.' The season will begin with the subcontinent series, November 14-16, between the Mumbai Cobras and Karachi Monarchs. This historic series will mark the first time Indian and Pakistani franchises have ever faced each other in baseball. The two large countries - with 1.8 billion people between them - enjoy one of the most passionate rivalries in all of sport. The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan cricket match in the ICC Champions Trophy event last month garnered a record 600 million viewers - that is 5 times more viewers than the Super Bowl. Baseball United's recent UAE Series event between the Arabia Wolves and Mid East Falcons was watched by 12 million unique viewers, including 3.3m unique viewers per game in Pakistan A Sports. The viewership numbers are more than any MLB regular season game played in the United States last year. With two billion people in the Middle East and South Asia - one billion of which are cricket fans - Baseball United has a massive market to introduce America's Pastime. Baseball United has also garnered strong viewership in baseball hotbeds globally, including the United States, Japan, and Latin America. Full rosters for the season will be announced later this spring. To date, 65% of Baseball United's players were originally drafted by Major League Baseball teams, including 8x MLB All-Star, Robinson Cano, 4x MLB Gold Glover, Andrelton Simmons, and 3x MLB World Series Champion, Pablo Sandoval. Karan Patel - the first player of Indian descent ever drafted by an MLB team and the #1 overall pick by the Mumbai Cobras in the league's 2023 draft - will pitch for the Cobras, while former Atlanta Braves All-Star, Jair Jurrjens will pitch for the Wolves. Each team will have 26 players. Baseball United built its new ballpark at The Sevens sports and entertainment complex in Dubai in just 38 days last fall, and since then has hosted the largest international amateur baseball tournament in the history of the region, the Arab Classic, along with last month's UAE Series. The ballpark is the first professional baseball field in the history of the region.
Dubai Eye
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
Baseball United unveils schedule for historic first season
Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, has announced the official schedule for its debut season. The season will run from November 14 to December 14, with all games held at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai. It will feature the league's four founding franchises, the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves and Mid East Falcons. The teams will each play nine regular season games - facing each other three times each - followed by a best of three United Series beginning December 12 to determine the league champion. Overall, 21 games will be played over 30 days. The season kicks off with the historic Subcontinent Series, where the Mumbai Cobras will face the Karachi Monarchs from November 14-16, marking the first-ever Indian vs Pakistani franchises' baseball matchup. Full rosters for the season will be announced later this spring. The league is also set to reveal its broadcast partners this summer, aiming for global coverage. With Major League Baseball (MLB) stars like Robinson Cano, Andrelton Simmons and Pablo Sandoval joining the league, Baseball United's debut season promises to make history in the region. — Baseball United (@BaseballUnited) March 25, 2025
Khaleej Times
25-03-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE's first baseball league announces schedule for opening season
Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, announced the official dates and schedule for its debut season. The league's first season will run from November 14 to December 14, with all games played at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai. After making history with three signature baseball events over the last three years, Baseball United will now commence the first professional baseball season in the history of the region. The season will feature the league's founding four franchises, the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves, and Mid East Falcons. The teams will each play nine regular season games — facing each other three times each — followed by a best of three United Series beginning December 12 to determine the league champion. Overall, 21 games will be played over 30 days at Baseball United's new ballpark in Dubai. 'Our team has worked so hard, for so long, to make this news official,' said Kash Shaikh, Baseball United Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder. 'We are so grateful for the support of our Dubai and UAE partners, our investors, and all the fans around the world who've helped make BU the most well-known internationally-based professional baseball league in the world. We've received all that support through several special events and big milestones since our launch in November of 2022. And now, we get to reward our fans with a full season. Everything starts small, but we believe this will be the beginning of a new chapter in baseball history.' The season will begin with the Subcontinent Series, November 14 to 16, between the Mumbai Cobras and Karachi Monarchs. This historic series will mark the first time Indian and Pakistani franchises have ever faced each other in baseball. The two large countries - with 1.8 billion people between them - enjoy one of the most passionate rivalries in all of sport. The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan cricket match in the ICC Champions Trophy event last month garnered a record 600 million viewers - that is 5 times more viewers than the Super Bowl. The league will announce its official broadcaster partners this summer, including television and digital streaming reaching all 193 countries. Baseball United's recent UAE Series event between the Arabia Wolves and Mid East Falcons was watched by 12 million unique viewers, including 3.3M unique viewers per game in Pakistan A Sports. The viewership numbers are more than any MLB regular season game played in the United States last year. With two billion people in the Middle East and South Asia - one billion of which are cricket fans - Baseball United has a massive market to introduce America's Pastime. Baseball United has also garnered strong viewership in baseball hotbeds globally, including the United States, Japan, and Latin America. Full rosters for the season will be announced later this spring. To date, 65% of Baseball United's players were originally drafted by Major League Baseball teams, including MLB All-Star, Robinson Cano, MLB Gold Glover, Andrelton Simmons, and MLB World Series Champion, Pablo Sandova l. Baseball United built its new ballpark at The Sevens sports and entertainment complex in Dubai in just 38 days last fall, and since then has hosted the largest international amateur baseball tournament in the history of the region, the Arab Classic, along with last month's UAE Series. The ballpark is the first professional baseball field in the history of the region.
Arab News
25-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Baseball United announces schedule for historic first season in the UAE
DUBAI: Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, has announced the official dates and schedule for its debut season. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The inaugural series will run from Nov. 14 to Dec. 14, with all games played at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai. Following three signature baseball events over the last three years, Baseball United will now launch the first professional baseball season in the history of the region. The season will feature the league's founding four franchises — the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves and Mid East Falcons. The teams will each play nine regular season games, facing each other three times each, followed by a best of three United Series from Dec. 12 to determine the league champion. Overall, 21 games will be played over 30 days. 'Our team has worked so hard, for so long, to make this news official,' said Kash Shaikh, Baseball United chairman, CEO and co-founder. 'We are so grateful for the support of our Dubai and UAE partners, our investors and all the fans around the world who've helped make BU the most well-known internationally based professional baseball league in the world. We've received all that support through several special events and big milestones since our launch in November of 2022. And now, we get to reward our fans with a full season. Everything starts small, but we believe this will be the beginning of a new chapter in baseball history.' The season will begin with the Subcontinent Series from Nov. 14-16, with the Mumbai Cobras against the Karachi Monarchs. This will mark the first time Indian and Pakistani franchises have faced each other in baseball. The two countries — which between them have a population of some 1.8 billion — have one of the most passionate rivalries in all of sport. The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan cricket match in the ICC Champions Trophy last month garnered a record 600 million viewers — five times more than the Super Bowl. The league will announce its official broadcast partners this summer, including television and digital streaming that will reach every country. Baseball United's recent UAE Series event between the Arabia Wolves and Mid East Falcons was watched by 12 million unique viewers, including 3.3 million per game in Pakistan A Sports. The viewership numbers are more than any Major League Baseball regular season game played in the US last year. With 2 billion people in the Middle East and South Asia — 1 billion of whom are cricket fans — Baseball United has a massive potential market. Full rosters for the season will be announced later this spring. To date, 65 percent of Baseball United's players were originally drafted by MLB teams, including eight-time All-Star Robinson Cano, four-time Gold Glover Andrelton Simmons and three-time World Series Champion, Pablo Sandoval. Karan Patel — the first player of Indian descent to be drafted by an MLB team and the number one pick by the Mumbai Cobras in the league's 2023 draft — will pitch for the Cobras, while former Atlanta Braves All-Star Jair Jurrjens will pitch for the Wolves. Each team will have 26 players. Baseball United built its new ballpark at The Sevens sports and entertainment complex in Dubai in just 38 days last fall. Since then it has hosted the largest international amateur baseball tournament in the region's history, the Arab Classic, along with last month's UAE Series.
