Six-time All-Star shortstop Miguel Tejada has been tabbed to manage a professional baseball team in a new league based in the Middle East and India.
Tejada, the 2002 AL MVP with the Oakland A’s, will lead the Karachi Monarchs — one of two teams that have been announced as part of Baseball United, which will begin its inaugural season in late 2024. The other is the Mumbai Cobras, which the league hopes will spark a rivalry between Pakistan and India akin to the longstanding one in cricket.
Additional franchises and managers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Tejada played for six teams in his 16 seasons in the majors, earning All-Star nods in Oakland, Baltimore and Houston and hitting 307 career homers.
“This opportunity means a lot,” Tejada said in a news release. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of good things in my life thanks to baseball, but I really believe this chance to lead the Karachi Monarchs will be one of the best.”
Tejada will team with fellow Dominican baseball legend Adrián Beltré, who was named the team’s honorary general manager last week. The pair will work with other league officials to assemble the club’s roster in advance of its debut this November in Baseball United’s Dubai Showcase.
The league’s ownership group also includes former MLB players Mariano Rivera, Barry Larkin, and Felix Hernandez.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miguel Tejada, 2002 AL MVP, named manager of baseball team in Pakistan