Major League Baseball has partnered with RISE Worldwide, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, to accelerate baseball’s growth in India through fan engagement, grassroots development, and live events. The collaboration marks a significant step in MLB’s international expansion strategy, with India emerging as a priority market.
The partnership spans marketing, social media, commercial activations, and on-ground experiences, culminating in a live baseball event in Mumbai in October 2026. RISE Worldwide will drive fan experiences, digital campaigns, and local activations designed to build visibility and participation for the sport among Indian audiences.
The timing is deliberate. India’s young, digitally engaged population and rapidly growing appetite for international sporting content make it an increasingly attractive market for global sports leagues. MLB clearly recognises this – it has been building its India presence since opening offices in New Delhi in 2019, running school programmes like MLB First Pitch, youth tournaments including the MLB Cup, and producing awareness-led content such as the documentary project Indian Baseball Dreams.
Noah Garden noted the partnership represents an important milestone in MLB’s global expansion, while RISE Worldwide’s Nikhil Bardia described the current moment as opportune, given India’s evolving sports ecosystem and baseball’s growing international profile.
By combining MLB’s global sports infrastructure with RISE Worldwide’s deep expertise in sports marketing and entertainment, the partnership is positioned to move baseball from niche curiosity to mainstream conversation in India.
