MUMBAI, India – In a country where cricket reigns supreme and football comes a close second, pickleball is quietly but steadily carving out a niche for itself – not just as a recreational activity, but also in the community. Also as a sport.
Over the past two years, pickleball has gained popularity in many of India’s big cities, especially Mumbai and Bangalore, attracting players from children to the elderly.
Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a backyard children’s game in the United States and is now played professionally around the world. A combination of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, pickleball is easy to pick up and fun to play.
It acts as a great workout without requiring the physical intensity of tennis, making it ideal for older adults and those seeking a low-impact or socially inclined workout.
For Parnika Waghmare, who lives in the city of Thane near Mumbai, pickleball helps foster community interaction.
“I reconnected with old friends through pickleball,” said Wagmere, an architect.
The 28-year-old loved tennis, but never had the opportunity to play competitively. Pickleball gave her an opportunity to get back on the court.
After a two-hour pickleball session, she told Al Jazeera, “Even though I’m not feeling well, I can still play easily.” “I plan to play every weekend to maintain my athletic ability and hope to compete in local tournaments.”
Waghmare was one of around 15 people who turned up to play pickleball on the outdoor court at Sharachandraji Pawar Mini Stadium TMC in Thane on Sunday morning.
Sujay Kumar, 53, a businessman and long-time badminton player, signed up for twice-weekly coaching lessons at the venue.
“I recently injured my back and had to take a break from playing badminton, so I started playing pickleball,” Kumar said.
“I’ve been playing for a month and it’s been great. Pickleball has a community, but that’s not the case with badminton. I met about 20 new people,” he added.
What is pickleball?
Pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court with a low modified tennis net, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor play.
Players use a solid paddle, usually made of wood or composite material, to hit a perforated plastic ball that is about the same size as a baseball but is considerably lighter.
The craze for the sport initially started in the posh areas of Mumbai – Bandra, Andheri, Goregaon and Nariman Point – but has now spread to other parts of India’s second most populous city with a population of around 20 million people. It is gradually spreading.
“The low barrier to entry makes it very easy for anyone to fall in love with the sport,” said Chirag Shrivastav, co-founder of Elev8, a sports company that organizes pickleball gatherings.
Pickleball is becoming a popular choice for weekend activities in urban India. Friends may get together over a game, or young couples may plan a “pickleball date.” Pickleball gatherings are also used as a networking tool.
“Earlier, it was tennis and squash that brought investors and businesspeople together, but now they come together over a game of pickleball,” Shrivastav said.
Mumbai may be the birthplace of Indian pickleball, but the game is also becoming increasingly popular in Bengaluru in southern India.
This bustling city of 14 million people is widely known as India’s Silicon Valley, home to luxury, high-tech global software companies. And this is where pickleball comes into play.
Yashodhan Nakare, a former national junior tennis player, has been playing pickleball four times a week for six months in Bangalore’s affluent Indiranagar neighborhood, with a small group called the Pickle Ricklers. is a member of
“There are six of us managing Pickle Ricklers, but at least 26 to 27 people from our community play at the top level. We’re organizing a mini-tournament,” said a 24-year-old man who works at a consulting company.
Companies have also discovered the appeal of pickleball and are using it as a tool to market their products.
Local Ferment Company (LFC), a beverage manufacturing company in Bangalore, held an hour-and-a-half pickleball party for 30 people at its indoor sports arena in October.
Participants selected through an application process played pickleball and drank kombucha and ginger ale.
“We now have a WhatsApp community called Dink and Drink, which is made up of everyone who came to hang out or is interested. We have around 70-80 members,” said Tarini Thakur, head of brand and culture at LFC.
“We try to organize pickleball games from time to time. It’s a great way to meet our customers and let them try our drinks in an organic environment.”
turned pro
Many people are drawn to pickleball for its recreational appeal, while others see it as a path to professional success.
Vrushali Thakare, a native of Jalgaon in North Maharashtra, has been playing pickleball since 2017 and is representing India.
Her desire to compete professionally led her to settle permanently in Mumbai. This month, she won gold and silver medals at the Hong Kong World Pickleball Championships.
“What motivates me to play pickleball professionally is the financial stability,” Takare said. “In terms of career, it has become a good option for athletes.”
Like Thakare, Sonu Vishwakarma also moved to Mumbai from Dhanbad, Jharkhand to focus on his professional pickleball career.
The 22-year-old said his interest in pickleball spiked after the 2022 Bainbridge Cup, the first international pickleball event to be held in India, named after the birthplace of the sport.
“The prize money was $50,000, which was a lot for Indian pickleball,” Vishwakarma said. “Since that tournament, the popularity of pickleball has shown no signs of slowing down, and we as players have started to attract a lot of attention.”
Thakare and Vishwakarma are two of the many players supported by the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA). Chairman Arvind Prabhu said AIPA plans to spread the sport across India.
“The long-term vision is the Olympics,” Prabhu said. “The only time pickleball could be considered for the Olympics, if ever, is in the 2032 or 2036 Olympics. So we have time to prepare. …By then, we All 12-year-old players currently coached will be eligible.
At the elite level, pickleball is gaining unprecedented momentum in India, with Mumbai hosting the country’s first global franchise-based pickleball league, the World Pickleball League, next month.
The first season will feature six teams with a mix of local talent and international players, and aims to attract participants from around 15 countries.
“The objective of this league is to make it commercially successful and grow the pickleball ecosystem in India,” said Gaurav Natekar, co-founder of the league.
“I want to do what the Indian Premier League has done for hundreds of players,” he said, referring to cricket’s richest franchise tournament.
The future of pickleball in India
One of the key obstacles to the continued growth of pickleball in India is the lack of proper infrastructure.
There’s a big disconnect between the number of courts and the demand for play, but Natekar believes it’s a “good problem” for stakeholders who are already working on building more courts. Prabhu said there are nearly 500 courts in Mumbai and Bengaluru is expected to have over 200 within the next three months.
Additionally, some urban elites want to maintain pickleball as a special sport, which drives both its aspirational value for beginners and the challenge of making it more accessible. There is.
“Some wealthy people want to keep the sport special and maintain the visibility of the game,” Prabhu explained.
“There are clubs in Mumbai where only the rich play and outsiders are not allowed in. They play in groups. … They want to keep it that way. But for people who want to make it big, it makes ambition worthwhile,” he added.
Pickleball is gaining momentum in India and is becoming more than just a sport. It is a bridge between diverse metropolitan communities and an avenue for ambitious athletes who dream of global recognition.
