Mumbai: A newly constructed baseball stadium is situated along the E66 highway, which links Dubai and Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates. This facility is designed for a sport that enjoys popularity in the United States and Japan, yet remains relatively unfamiliar in India.

However, in November, this sporting venue in the desert will host an Indian franchise that is set to participate in the inaugural season of Baseball United. This league represents the first professional baseball competition aimed at engaging audiences in the Middle East and South Asia.

Although it is still in the early stages of development, the league is expected to include four teams: the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves, and Mid East Falcons. The tournament was conceived from an idea proposed by Barry Larkin, a former Major League Baseball (MLB) champion and one of the most esteemed players of his era. Kash Shaikh, the CEO and chairman of Baseball United, recounted, 'He approached me with the notion that there exists an opportunity to expand baseball beyond the United States.'

Shaikh elaborated, 'Our straightforward hypothesis was that if we could motivate even a fraction of cricket enthusiasts to embrace baseball, a sport that shares fundamental skills such as hitting, running, catching, and throwing with cricket, we could cultivate something remarkable.' This initiative is not the first attempt to introduce baseball to the Indian market; in 2008, Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh gained recognition after winning a reality show titled The Million Dollar Arm, subsequently signing with the MLB team Pittsburgh Pirates.

Shaikh emphasized that while Baseball United aims to establish a presence in India, it does not intend to compete with cricket. Instead, the organization seeks to offer an additional pathway for aspiring cricket players. 'The 11 positions on the Indian national cricket team are highly sought after throughout the nation,' Shaikh remarked. 'However, not making the team does not imply a lack of talent. There are numerous levels of cricket, and we aspire to create another avenue for cricket enthusiasts to explore baseball. There is a wealth of passion for sports in this region.'

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