What’s the Score?
New Delhi, India – The inaugural Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), sanctioned as India’s official and only national league by the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), successfully concluded its Players’ Draft, setting the stage for a competitive debut season from December 1 to 7, 2025, at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Six city-based franchises assembled their rosters from a pool of 53 athletes, selecting 36 top names across Super Stars Pro International, Super Stars Pro Indian, and Rising Stars categories. The league launch was defined by ambitious claims from ownership, positioning pickleball to become the “biggest sport after cricket” in India.
Hit it Deeper!
The IPBL, launched by The Times Group, aims to be the epicentre of India’s next major sporting revolution. Managing Director Vineet Jain expressed immense excitement, noting that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport globally, with Indian participation expected to reach one million by 2028. Jain is confident that the league’s passion and dedication will elevate the sport’s status.
The six competing franchises—Mumbai Smashers, Hyderabad Royals, Chennai Super Warriors, Capital Warriors Gurgaon, Bengaluru Blasters, and Lucknow Leopards—strategically secured talent, resulting in highly varied and competitive squads:
- Mumbai Smashers (backed by Nazara Technologies) made the draft’s biggest international statement by picking World No. 3 Quang Duong of Vietnam as their first pick. They added American Allison Harris. Head Coach Rohan Gajjar was satisfied, confirming the team they picked went “as per plan”.
- Lucknow Leopards made bold choices, securing top Indian male superstar Aditya Ruhela, American former tennis pro Ryler Deheart, and high-performing Indian player Mihika Yadav. Team Principal Dhiraj Singh declared the Leopards “one of the top contenders for the trophy”.
- Hyderabad Royals acquired accomplished American player Ben Newell and USA/UK-based international star Megan Fudge, who was the most sought-after female foreign player. The squad aims to blend “Nizami tehzeeb” (culture) with competitive hunger.
- Bengaluru Blasters drafted Phuc Huynh and Asia’s emerging talent Pei Chuan Kao. CEO Vasanth Kalyan confirmed they employed a “moneyball” strategy—securing undervalued assets to maximise victory per rupee spent, and aiming to “dominate this league from day one”.
- Capital Warriors Gurgaon secured American Jack Munro and Australia’s Emilia Schmidt. Owner Robin Mangla was highly confident, asserting his “star-studded lineup” will “definitely reaching to the finals”.
- Chennai Super Warriors focused on balance, led by Australian Mitchell Hargreaves and Netherlands’ Roos van Reek. Head Coach Atul Edward stated he was “70% happy” with the draft outcome, emphasizing the team’s strong fundamentals and tactical maturity.
Further enhancing its appeal, the IPBL positioned itself as India’s first “lifestyle sport”. It appointed five beauty pageant winners—including Femina Miss India World 2024 Nikita Porwal—as official team ambassadors for the city franchises, linking the league with contemporary glamour and cultural relevance.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The launch of the IPBL represents an audacious and highly structured attempt to immediately professionalise pickleball in India, backed by significant media power and high-stakes financial commitments. By attracting World No. 3 talent and confidently claiming the ambition to surpass all sports except cricket, the league is betting on blending elite athleticism with cultural marketing (like the use of beauty pageant ambassadors) to accelerate fan adoption. The diverse drafting strategies—from Bengaluru’s “moneyball” to the Capital Warriors’ certainty of reaching the finals—indicate a high degree of organisational ambition. The success of the IPBL will hinge not only on the quality of play inside the Indira Gandhi Stadium but also on whether this combination of professional structure and lifestyle marketing can translate into the sustained national resonance needed to compete in India’s demanding sports market. The league has set an incredibly high bar for itself, promising a revolution rather than just a tournament.
Chris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at all levels of pickleball. Chris is also an avid player, currently struggling to make the breakthrough from 4.0 to 4.5.