Two of the Lovely Professional University (LPU) students of professional programmes have been selected for Baseball United to be held in Dubai in 2023. Saurabh Gaikwad of Bachelor in Physical Education (BPES) and Akshay More of BSC Agriculture programmes are the only two Indians who have been selected for this. Prestigious and the first of its kind league, it is to cater to the Middle East & South Asia, in particular.
Most of the other players in the tournament are from the countries including the USA, Japan, and more. The region’s first-ever professional baseball league will have nine games and one exhibition featuring four of the league’s initial franchises.
The League, to be held at iconic Dubai International Stadium, has partnerships with baseball federations in 50+ countries worldwide. This Stadium has been named as the host venue for the inaugural showcase of the new United International Baseball League (UIBL) in 2023.
Congratulating the students, LPU Pro Chancellor Mrs Rashmi Mittal encouraged them to bring more laurels of international recognition to the university and the country.Selected LPU students share that it is indeed an honour to be selected for world-game and to start playing in one of the world’s most storied stadiums.
It will be an incredible launchpad for beginners like us. It is a blessing to us from our mentors at LPU that we will now be able to grow the beautiful game of baseball in the area as one of the pioneers.Dubai International Stadium has hosted several high-profile International Cricket Council (ICC) and Indian Premier League (IPL) tournaments, including last year’s IPL Final.
The 25,000-capacity venue will also be home to the inaugural season of the International League T20 (ILT20), the UAE’s professional cricket league that begins play in January 2023.Here, UIBL’s vision is to bring baseball to the region, and to offer fans across the world a great chance to experience America’s favourite game.