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Zee hits it out of the park with Baseball United broadcast partnership
MUMBAI: It’s not just cricket calling the shots anymore baseball is stepping up to the plate. Zee Entertainment Enterprises limited (‘Z’) has teamed up with Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, to bring the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd to Indian screens this festive season.
In a historic move, Zee will air all 21 games of Baseball United’s Season One this November and December, including primetime matches featuring the Mumbai Cobras, India’s first professional baseball franchise. For the first time, Indian audiences will have a homegrown team to root for, complete with six Indian players sharing the field with global stars.
The games will stream live on Zee5, and be broadcast across Zee Café SD, &Flix SD, and &Pictures HD, in both English and Hindi, ensuring fans from every corner of India can catch the action.
The lineup for Baseball United’s debut season reads like a continental all-star card Arabia Wolves, Mid East Falcons, Karachi Monarchs, and Mumbai Cobras will battle it out across 21 games in 30 days, with the season finale set for 12–14 December in Dubai.
Beyond the matches, Zee5 will hit a content home run with player features, ballpark highlights, Baseball 101 explainers, and even a documentary chronicling the making of the league. Zee will back the partnership with a four-week promotional blitz, featuring teasers, ad spots, and social media campaigns to introduce baseball’s flair to India’s massive fanbase.
“At Zee, we’re committed to bringing world-class international sports to Indian audiences,” said Zee Entertainment Enterprises head of advertisement revenue (broadcast and digital), Laxmi Shetty Ltd. “With ILT20, we celebrated international cricket talent; now, we’re expanding that vision with baseball. India already has a deep bat-and-ball culture, this partnership brings speed, strategy, and spectacle in a whole new form.”
The collaboration isn’t just about sport, it’s about scale. Zee’s combined digital and linear platforms reach over 800 million viewers across India, positioning it perfectly to help Baseball United tap into the country’s 50 million baseball fans and ignite curiosity among millions more.
For Baseball United, India is more than just a market, it’s a cornerstone. “This is a major milestone in our mission to bring professional baseball to India and the broader region,” said Baseball United chairman, CEO, and co-founder Kash Shaikh. “For the first time, fans will have their own team to cheer for with Indian players inspiring a new generation.”
The league’s ambitious debut season, backed by 20 Major League Baseball legends including Mariano Rivera, Barry Larkin, Adrián Beltré, and Albert Pujols, aims to grow the sport across one of the world’s most populous and passionate sporting regions.
And when the Mumbai Cobras take the field on 14 November in Dubai, it won’t just mark the start of a season, it’ll mark the moment India’s love for bat-and-ball takes a bold, new swing.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
