Under the name and organization of the new United International Baseball League (UIBL), professional baseball is to be brought to India, Pakistan and the Middle East, beginning with an inaugural showcase to be held in Dubai in February 2023. The UIBL has partnered with U.S. Hall of Fame baseball legends Mariano Rivera and Barry Larkin to help build, develop and grow the league – and to “honor and change the game” of baseball.
The Indian subcontinent and the Middle East region are home to two billion people. More than 900 million of these people are cricket fans – the world’s most popular sport involving bat and ball. While there are some small baseball leagues in South Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, they lack professional leagues and deep experience in grassroots player development and infrastructure. The UIBL team wants to change that. American baseball is a $13 billion business with nearly 100 million fans in the U.S. and Canada and an avid following throughout Latin America. However, sports fans in South Asia and the Middle East, who make up the world’s largest cricket fan base, have yet to be reached. In South Asia alone, more than 167 million people watched the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup last year – 70 million more than the Super Bowl and more than 150 million more than the World Series. Unlike baseball’s aging fan base, whose average age is 57, cricket fans are among the youngest sports fans in the world, with an average age of 34. UIBL plans to innovate and evolve the game to appeal to this younger, more diverse demographic.
In addition to innovations in gameplay and entertainment, the UIBL will also introduce a multi-country format for the new league that will bring in players from around the world and allows for international competition. The league has already begun activating its international scouting and South Asia-focused development program, with a vision to partner with exceptional local organizations to build UIBL Baseball Academies across the region. UIBL unveiled its brand logo and design as part of its launch.
