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Pickleball in India

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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]

Performance

India has sent athletes to international pickleball competitions.[27]

Notable players

Indian players have made a strong presence in the sport of pickleball, competing in both national and international tournaments.[28] Armaan Bhatia, currently ranked as one of the top pickleball players in Asia, claimed a trio of titles at the inaugural PWR DUPR India Masters, held at the R. K. Khanna Tennis Complex in New Delhi.[29] Bhatia won the cup in men’s singles, mixed doubles, and men’s doubles at this event.

As of November 2024, India has 7 players ranked within the global men’s singles top 50 (22 players in top 100), and 8 players ranked within the global women's singles top 50 (15 players in top 100).[30]

Popularity

Starting around 2020, many individuals of various ages and levels of experience have since began to participate in pickleball games as a recreational activity.[31] Specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic, more individuals in India played pickleball as a non-contact and gender-agnostic activity compared to previous years.[31] Services such as Hudl have reported that in between 2023 and 2024, at least 50,000 people in India had played at least one game of pickleball.[32] Additionally, India has now developed over 500 pickleball courts across the country.[32][33] These courts are located in India’s densely populated cities, and can also be found in the country’s less urban settings as well.

Organizations such as the Federation of Pickleball Association of Kerala and India’s different amateur pickleball clubs have helped develop the pickleball scene in India by running competitions, creating courts, and coaching amateur pickleball players.[2][32]

Future

Pickleball is steadily expanding in India, with schools, housing societies, and the hospitality sector increasingly incorporating the sport. [2] Organizations like the Federation of Pickleball Association of Kerala are introducing pickleball to schoolchildren and organizing statewide tournaments to promote grassroots participation. [2]

Infrastructure development is a key focus, with initiatives aimed at expanding the availability of courts nationwide.[15] The All India Pickleball Association (AIPA), for instance, has collaborated with KheloMore Sports, a sports venue booking platform, which has committed ₹5 crore to construct over 100 pickleball courts across the country.[15]

In the corporate world, pickleball is emerging as an alternative to traditional leisure sports like golf, thanks to its ease of organization and inclusivity.[34] High-profile endorsements such as Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s investment in the World Pickleball League (WPBL), have also further boosted the sport's visibility.[34] The WPBL is set to launch in 2025 and will be India’s first franchise-based pickleball league.[34] The league aims to emulate the Indian Premier League (IPL) by attracting corporate franchise owners, securing media coverage and offering large-scale competitive opportunities for athletes. [34][35]

Financial constraints remain a challenge, but AIPA President Arvind Prabhoo envisions pickleball becoming a mainstream sport in India, citing the domestic popularity of other racket sports like tennis and badminton as evidence of its viability.[36] He states the ultimate goal is to secure pickleball’s inclusion in the Olympic Games. [36]

References

  1. ^ "The Essential Rules of Pickleball: A Quick Overview". Team Pickleball. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "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. ^ a b c "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.
  27. ^ Jain, Keyur (2024-10-30). "Pickleball global rankings: Check India's rising stars position in the world". Inside Sport India. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  28. ^ "Proud of our athletes' performance at World Pickleball Championship: AIPA President Arvind Prabhoo". ANI News. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  29. ^ "Armaan Bhatia grounds American star Dusty to win first major pickleball event in India". The Indian Express. 2024-10-27. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  30. ^ "ProKennex Men's Singles GPR". pickleball.global. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  31. ^ a b "Easy format of pickleball makes sport popular among young and old alike". The Times of India. 2024-09-03. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  32. ^ a b c "Pickleball Fever Sweeps India: More Than 50,000 Players, Nearly 500 Courts Signals Popularity Across Nation | EXCLUSIVE". Times Now. 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  33. ^ "India joins global Pickleball, Padel boom as sports surpass tennis' growth". Firstpost. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  34. ^ a b c d "Pickleball Evolution: Faster, Greener, Smarter Courts, Balls, and Paddles Predicted By Sarah Burr | EXCLUSIVE". Times Now. 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  35. ^ Hariharan, Sindhu (2024-09-10). "Easy to play Pickleball is paddling its way through India". BusinessLine. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  36. ^ a b "The Ultimate Aim Is To Take Pickleball To The Olympics: Arvind Prabhoo". Forbes India. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
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