What is pickleball and why is it popular in India’s urban hubs like Mumbai? | Sport News

Mumbai, India – In a country where cricket reigns supreme and football comes a close second, pickleball is quietly but steadily carving out its niche – not just as a recreational activity but also as a community sport.

In the past two years, pickleball has gained popularity across many large Indian cities, especially Mumbai and Bengaluru, drawing players from children to senior citizens.

Invented in 1965 as a back-yard children’s game in the United States, pickleball is now played professionally worldwide. A mix of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is easy to pick up and fun to play.

Serving as a great workout without the physical intensity of tennis, it is ideal for older adults and those seeking low-impact or socially inclined exercise.

For Parnika Waghmare, a resident of Thane city near Mumbai, pickleball has helped foster community interaction.

“I reconnected with old friends through pickleball,” Waghmare, an architect, said.

The 28-year-old loved tennis but didn’t get a chance to play competitively. Pickleball offered her an opportunity to get back on the court.

“Even though I am out of form, I can play easily,” she told Al Jazeera after a two-hour pickleball session. “I plan to play every weekend to maintain my athleticism, and I hope to compete in local tournaments.”

Waghmare was one of about 15 people who showed up on a Sunday morning to play pickleball on an outdoor court at Sharadchandraji Pawar Mini Stadium TMC in Thane.

Sujay Kumar, 53, a businessman and a longtime badminton player, has signed up for twice-a-week coaching lessons at the venue.

“I had a back injury recently, which forced me to take rest from badminton, so I picked up pickleball,” Kumar said.

“I have been playing for a month, and it’s been great. There is a community for pickleball, which isn’t the case for badminton. I have met around 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 materials to hit a perforated plastic ball, which is about the same size as a baseball but considerably lighter.

The craze for the sport initially kicked off in the upscale areas of Mumbai – Bandra, Andheri, Goregaon and Nariman Point – and is now slowly spreading to other parts of India’s second most populous city with about 20 million residents.

“The low barrier to entry makes it very easy for anyone to love the sport,” said Chirag Shrivastav, co-founder of Elev8, a sports company that arranges pickleball gatherings.

In India’s urban hubs, pickleball is rapidly becoming a go-to option for weekend activities. Friends meet over a game, or young couples plan “pickleball dates”. Pickleball gatherings are even used as a networking tool.

“Earlier, it was tennis or squash that connected investors or industrialists, but now they are meeting over a game of pickleball,” Shrivastav said.

Mumbai may be the home of Indian pickleball, but the game has become increasingly trendy in Bengaluru in southern India.

The bustling city of 14 million inhabitants is widely known as the “Silicon Valley” of India for its lavish, high-tech global software companies. And pickleball resonates here.

Yashodhan Nakhare, a former national-level junior tennis player, has been playing pickleball four times a week for six months in Bengaluru’s affluent Indiranagar neighbourhood and is part of a small group called “Pickle Ricklers”.

“It’s six of us managing the ‘Pickle Ricklers’, but at least 26 to 27 people in our community play at the top level. We participate in tournaments and arrange our friendly mini-tournaments,” said the 24-year-old, who works at a consulting firm.

Businesses are also seeing the charm of pickleball, using it as a tool to market their products.

Local Ferment Co (LFC), a beverage crafting company in Bengaluru, arranged a pickleball party for 30 people in October, hosting them for an hour and a half at an indoor sports arena.

The participants, handpicked after an application process, played pickleball and sipped on kombucha and ginger ale.

“We now have a WhatsApp community called ‘Dink and Drink’ of all the people who came to play and others who are interested. It has around 70 to 80 members,” said Tarini Thakur, head of brand and culture at LFC.

“We try to arrange pickleball games now and then. It’s a great way to meet our customers and make them try our beverages in an organic setting.”

Turning pro

While many are drawn to pickleball for its recreational appeal, others see it as a pathway to professional success.

Vrushali Thakare, who hails from Jalgaon in North Maharashtra, has been playing pickleball since 2017 and represents India.

Her desire to compete professionally prompted her to move to Mumbai permanently. This month, she won a gold and silver medal in the Hong Kong leg of the World Pickleball Championship.

“I get motivated to play pickleball professionally because it offers financial stability,” Thakare said. “Careerwise, it has become a good option for sportspeople.”

Like Thakare, Sonu Vishwakarma moved to Mumbai from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, to focus on his professional pickleball career.

The 22-year-old said interest in pickleball skyrocketed after the 2022 Bainbridge Cup, the first international pickleball event held in India, named after the birthplace of the sport.

“The prize money was $50,000, which was huge for pickleball in India,” Vishwakarma said. “Since that tournament, there has been no end to pickleball’s rising popularity, and even us players have received great exposure.”

Thakare and Vishwakarma are two of the many players supported by the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA). Its president, Arvind Prabhoo, says the AIPA plans to spread the sport to every corner of India.

“The long-term vision is the Olympics,” Prabhoo said. “If at all, pickleball can only be considered for inclusion at the 2032 or 2036 Olympics. So we have time to prepare. … All the 12-year-olds we are coaching now will be eligible to compete by then.”

At the elite level, pickleball is enjoying unprecedented momentum in India, and next month, Mumbai will host the country’s first global franchise-based pickleball league, the World Pickleball League.

The inaugural season will feature six teams, blending local talent with international players, and aims to attract participants from about 15 countries.

“The purpose of this league is to make it a commercial success and grow the ecosystem of pickleball in India,” said Gaurav Natekar, co-founder of the league.

“We want to do what the Indian Premier League has done for hundreds of players,” he said, referring to cricket’s richest franchise tournament.

Pickleball’s future in India

One of the key hurdles to continued pickleball growth in India is the lack of adequate infrastructure.

There is a huge gap between the number of courts and the demand to play, but Natekar believes that is a “good problem to have” for stakeholders, who are already working on building more courts. According to Prabhoo, Mumbai has close to 500 courts while they are expected to surpass 200 in Bengaluru in the next three months.

There is also a perception that some members of the elite urban class want to keep pickleball as an exclusive sport, a factor that fuels both its aspirational value for newcomers and its challenges in becoming more accessible.

“Partly the rich want to keep it an exclusive sport and maintain the profile of the game,” Prabhoo explained.

“There are clubs in Mumbai where only the rich play – no outsiders allowed. They form a group and play. … They want to keep it that way. That’s where the aspirational value comes for someone not so rich and wants to make it big,” he added.

As pickleball continues to gain momentum in India, it is becoming more than just a sport. It is a bridge connecting diverse metropolitan communities and an avenue for ambitious athletes dreaming of global recognition.