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Pickleball in India

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bdriverusc (talk | contribs) at 13:44, 15 November 2024 (Added a tournaments section. Talks about a few pickleball tournaments that have/will take place in India.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Pickleball in India
Pickleball balls and paddles
CountryIndia
Governing bodyAll India Pickleball Association
National team(s)India

Pickleball, a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis,[1] is growing rapidly within India.[2][3][4][5] The Times Now reported in September 2024 that over 50,000 people in India played the game over the previous 18 months and at the time there were over 500 courts throughout the country, with 40 or 50 new courts being added every month.[6] The popularity of pickleball is causing waiting lists for booking courts.[7][8] Its increasing reach is attracting sponsors and investment.[9]

The sport is played in several states, including Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka.[10] Various clubs and centers, such as Pickleball Arena, offer coaching, court booking, and equipment sales to promote the sport.[11]

Sunil Valavalkar introduced pickleball in India in 2006.[2]

Mayur Patil from Maharashtra was among the six Indians representing India at the English Open in August 2023. He won a silver in the open category in the Bainbridge Cup.[2]

The Indian contingent won four gold and two bronze medals in the Asian Open Pickleball Championship 2024 held in Vietnam.[12]

A pickleball league called the World Pickleball League is planned to be launched in India with the backing of Gaurav Natekar.[13][14][15][16][17] There are also plans to bring PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball to India in 2025.[18]

History

Pickleball was introduced to India in 2007 by Sunil Valavalkar.[19] Valavalkar’s first experience with pickleball was in British Columbia, Canada in 1999, where he played it daily during his 110-day stay. Following a later trip to Cincinnati, Ohio in 2006, Valavalkar was reminded of pickleball during a tennis clinic. He returned to India and began seriously demonstrating pickleball, with his daughter and niece being the first examples. Initially, it was not well received.[20] In 2008, Valavalkar formed the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA), which was granted affiliation to the International Pickleball Federation in 2015. The AIPA was also a founding member of the Asia Federation of Pickleball.[21]

Pickleball has spread to many states including Karnataka and Jharkhand. Valavalkar helped organize some of the first national-level tournaments from 2013 to 2018. As time went on, the sport grew with more tournaments and larger prize pools.[20]

Tournaments

On February 2023, the 2023 Global Sports Indian Pickleball Open was hosted at the Panjim Gymkhan venue in Goa.[22][23] The PWR DUPR India Masters in October 2024 at New Delhi’s RK Khanna Tennis Stadium gathered 750 players and was India's first international pickleball event on the PWR World Tour, awarding up to 700 ranking points to participants.[24] Additionally, the World Pickleball Championship (WPC) will take place in Mumbai from November 12-17, 2024.[25] Kolkata will host its first DUPR-certified tournament from November 21-24, 2024, at the Ballygunge Arena, offering players a chance to compete for Bengal State rankings and entry into December’s National Tournament.[26]

References

  1. ^ "The Essential Rules of Pickleball: A Quick Overview". Team Pickleball. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  2. ^ a b c "From Mumbai To Goa, And Jharkhand To Kerala, The Growing Popularity Of Pickleball In India". Forbes India. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Tennis but not quite: Pickleball gains ground in India, riding a pandemic-born craze". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  4. ^ "From Goa to Mumbai - How Pickleball Went From A Trend To A Sporting Revolution In India". Times Now. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Pickleball Fever Sweeps India: From Mumbai to Kerala, the Sport Takes Center Stage". Times Now. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  6. ^ Sadhu, Rahul. "Pickleball Fever Sweeps India: More Than 50,000 Players, Nearly 500 Courts Signals Popularity Across Nation". Times Now News. Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Padel craze sparks waitlists for courts, Pickleball booms with ₹1 crore prize". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Pickleball: The rising craze in India's sports scene | The Established". www.theestablished.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  9. ^ Philip, Lijee (2 October 2023). "Pickleball growing in popularity, draws more sponsors". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Pickleball in India: The game that gives life (Pt. 1)". PickleballCentral.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Pickleball Arena". Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Indians dominate Asian Pickleball Championship with 4 gold, 2 silver". The Times of India. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Pickleball gets a league of its own in India with $10-mn investment in 3-5 years". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  14. ^ "India Set To Get First-Ever Professional Pickleball League With WPBL | Other Sports News". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  15. ^ "KheloMore and All India Pickleball Association to establish 100 pickleball courts in 2 years". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  16. ^ "India set to launch its first-ever professional pickleball league with World Pickleball League". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  17. ^ "All India Pickleball Association and Natekar Sports and Gaming Forge Pathbreaking Partnership for India's Inaugural Pickleball League". ANI News. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  18. ^ Golden, Jessica (25 April 2024). "Professional pickleball signs first international deal, looks to grow the sport in India". CNBC. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Pickleball Boom: The trendy, social sport is winning hearts in India too". India Today. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  20. ^ a b "From Mumbai To Goa, And Jharkhand To Kerala, The Growing Popularity Of Pickleball In India". Forbes India. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  21. ^ "AIPA". www.pickleball.in. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  22. ^ "panjim gymkhan". pickleball.global. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  23. ^ Global, Pickleball. "2023 Global Sports Indian Pickleball Open". pickleball.global. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  24. ^ "DUPR India Masters from Oct 24 to 27: Delhi to experience pickleball thrill as 750 players to compete for $50,000 prize". The Times of India. 2024-10-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  25. ^ "India to host World Pickleball Championship for first time, showcasing global talent in Mumbai". India Today NE (in Hindi). 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  26. ^ "Kolkata To Witness It's First-Ever DUPR-PWR Competition ! IPA Announces Bengal State Ranking Pickleball Tournament PWR 100 : Check Deets". Times Now. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
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