MLP Asia has confirmed the Domestic Draft picks for all six teams ahead of the league's inaugural 2026 season. Each franchise selected three domestic players, with a minimum of one male and one female player. The captains for each team are also locked in.
Here is the full breakdown of every team's Domestic Draft picks and captains.
Team | Captain | Other Domestic Picks |
Dragon Warriors | Lingwei Kong | Anni Xie, Longsheng Liu |
Hong Kong Canons | Hong Kit Wong | Nok Yiu Tang, Marco Leung |
Malayan Stripes | Jimmy Liong | Syed Uzair, Athilla Miasara |
Manila Helios | Kim Saraza | Jacob Diago, Macy Ybanez |
Team Tokyo | Yuta Funemizu | Aiko Yoshitomi, Rika Fujiwara |
Viet Panthers | Quan Do | Hien Truong, Sophia Nhi Huynh |
The Roster Rule Behind the Picks
Each team was required to select three domestic players, with a minimum of one male and one female player, to build out its roster. Each roster still has three more slots to fill through the International Draft.
The International Draft Comes Next
Teams will bid in a live auction to fill the remaining three slots on each roster. MLP Asia will broadcast the draft on the evening of Monday, September 14, with more announcements on the international player pool coming soon.
Once rosters are set, the season opens November 13 in Japan. Each team will host one home game, facing two opponents back to back in a single evening. After three weeks of group play, the top four teams qualify for the playoffs. Semifinals are set for Friday, December 11, with the Super Saturday finals on December 12 determining the 2026 season champions.
Keep an eye on events.thepicklebase.com for International Draft broadcast details as they land. Follow @thepicklebase on Instagram for reaction from the newly drafted captains.