HOUSTON: Kash Shaikh, the former chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Dubai-based Baseball United, has been appointed chief marketing officer and head of international at Perfect Game, the world’s largest platform for elite youth baseball and softball.
Having built the region’s first professional baseball league, Shaikh is now expanding opportunities in the sport at youth level across the world.
Shaikh will lead Perfect Game’s global marketing, partnerships, and international expansion, with full responsibility for the company’s growth outside the US.
Perfect Game operates on a larger scale than other amateur baseball platforms, producing nearly 10,000 events each year and serving hundreds of thousands of players across the US. It has become the primary pipeline for talent identification in baseball, with more than 15,000 alumni drafted into the Major League Baseball system, and over 2,400 former Perfect Game participants going on to play at the MLB level.
More than 90 percent of all players in 2025 selected in the MLB draft had competed in Perfect Game events — including every first-round pick.
Its reach, data, and relationships across college baseball and the MLB give it unmatched influence over how the next generation of players is discovered and developed.
Shaikh will now focus on building pathways for players outside the US to access this system. The average MLB salary now exceeds $5 million per year, with top players such as Shohei Ohtani signing contracts valued at over $700 million.
Shaikh said: “After building the first professional baseball league in Dubai and the surrounding region, one thing became very clear: You can’t sustainably grow the game from the top down, you have to build it from the ground up. And the best way to do that is to create a competitive amateur platform with direct access to scouts, elite coaches, and life-changing opportunities.
“Perfect Game has mastered that ecosystem in the US; now, we have the opportunity to replicate that success for the next generation of players and fans in Dubai, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), Japan, and beyond.”
The move marks a new and significant chapter for Shaikh, who has spent the last four years building professional baseball across the Middle East and South Asia, helping to introduce the sport to new markets and audiences.
Shaikh led Baseball United from concept to reality during his time in Dubai, launching the region’s first professional baseball league; building the first professional baseball field in the Middle East; and reaching nearly 100 million viewers globally in the debut season. He also created the Arab Classic, the largest and most diverse international baseball tournament in the history of the region, featuring teams from India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Shaikh’s appointment signals a broader ambition for Perfect Game to expand internationally, building pathways for young athletes in emerging baseball markets and connecting them to global opportunities in the sport.
Rob Ponger, the CEO of Perfect Game, said: “Kash is a transformational leader with a unique ability to inspire teams and build brands that resonate at scale.
“As we continue to expand beyond our strong foundation in elite amateur baseball, his experience across global markets, media, content, and community-driven growth will be critical to shaping the future of Perfect Game.”
Shaikh will be based in Texas and will travel to the Middle East and Asia for events and collaborations with partners, federations, and brands as he implements Perfect Game’s global growth strategy.
