By Joe James
What's the story?
The World Pickleball League (WPBL) has officially launched in India with fans able to live stream the tournament exclusively on FanCode.
Running from January 24th to February 2nd and hosted at the historic Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai, the highly anticipated event promises to be thrilling for players and fans.
The WBPL features six teams, including the Chennai Super Champs owned by actress Samantha Ruth Prabu, the Bengaluru Jawans co-owned by director Atlee and his wife Priya Atlee, and Pune United co-owned by actors Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh.
Mumbai Pickle Power is also owned by Bangalore based food ordering and delivery company Swiggy.
Yannick Colaco, Co-Founder of FanCode said: “Pickleball is rapidly gaining popularity in India, with an increasing number of enthusiasts embracing the sport.
“The World Pickleball League is set to captivate fans, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with them and bring the excitement of pickleball to sports fans nationwide.”
FanCode is India’s leading sports streaming platform and fans can enjoy live coverage and on-demand highlights through the app and website, which highlights the commitment to expanding the pickleball audience.
Gaurav Natekar, Co-Founder and CEO of WPBL, said: “FanCode’s rapid rise as one of the favourite sporting destinations for fans across the country provides us with an excellent platform to live stream all the games from the World Pickleball League.”
Natekar added: “FanCode has become a go-to source for everything related to sports, and by streaming the World Pickleball League, we aim to make the sport a household name.”
Recap
The WPBL is India’s first professional pickleball league and features six city-based teams: Chennai Super Champs, Bengaluru Jawans, Pune United, Mumbai Pickle Power, Hyderabad Superstars, Deli (Dilli) Dillwale.
The teams are owned by prominent figures from Bollywood and corporate sectors in a bid to drive media coverage, fanfare and appeal.
48 players were drafted between the six teams with each side having eight players led by a coach.
The participants consist of male and female players from 14 countries including India, Japan, Spain, South Korea, Australia, USA and the United Kingdom and the lineups are:
*Profiles follow Name (Age, Gender, Game Type, Nationality)
Dehli (Dilli) Dillwale – Coach: Coco Lococo (Australia) Players: Alexa Schull (17, F, Singles, USA), Isha Lakhani (39, F, Doubles, India), Eduardo Irizarry (30, M, Singles, Puerto Rico), Willy Chung (24, M, Singles, Taiwan), Lauren Mercado (17, F, Mixed, USA), Leander Lazaro (31, M, Singles, Philippines), Kenta Miyoshi (29, M, Singles, Japan), Aiko Yoshitomi (31, F, Doubles, Japan)
Pune United – Coach: Rosti Sobek (USA) Players: William Sobek (20, M, Doubles, USA), Mollie Knaggs (27, F, Singles, UK), Vanshik Kapadia (19, M, Doubles, India), Brooke Revuelta (18, F, Singles, USA), Louis Laville (29, M, Doubles, UK), Molly O’Donoghue (22, F, Doubles, UK), Mateusz Matysik (17, M, Singles, Poland), Talia Saunders (38, F, Doubles, Australia)
Mumbai Pickle Power – Coach: Sam Basford (UK) Players: Brandon Lane (30, M, Singles, USA), Glauka Lane (26, F, Doubles, Spain), Mayur Patil (24, M, Doubles, India), Sabrina Domínguez (36, F, Singles, Spain), Mihae Kwon (24, F, Singles, South Korea), Kim Eung Gwon (25, M, Doubles, South Korea), Bartosz Karbownik (22, M, Singles, Poland), Katie Morris (26, F, Singles, UK)
Bengaluru Jawans – Coach: Oliver Strecker (German) Players: Jack Foster (23, M, Singles, USA), Katerina Stewart (27, F, Singles, USA), Vrushali Thakare (27, F, Doubles, India), Trang Hyunh-Mcclain (31, F, Doubles, USA). Marcello Jardim (51, M, Singles, Spain), Alejandra Borobia (23, F, Singles, Puerto Rico), Felix Grunert (29, M, Doubles, Germany), Mauro Garcia (17, M, Doubles, Spain)
Chennai Super Champs – Coach: Joey Farias (USA) Players: Anna Patrimonio (31, F, Singles, Philippines), Etienne Blaszkewycz (32, M, Doubles, Canada), Sonu Vishwakarma (22, M, Singles, India), Tanner Tomassi (25, M, Doubles, USA), Thaddea Lock (37, F, Doubles, UK), Edward Perez (26, M, Singles, USA), Tyra Calderwood (34, F, Doubles, Australia), Sarah Jane Lim (32, F, Singles, Philippines)
Hyderabad Superstars – Coach: Jonny Andrews (USA) Players: Maxwell Freeman (26, M, Doubles, USA), Ava Cavataio (19, F, Doubles, USA), Kuldip Mahajan (25, M, Singles, India), Ross Whittaker (30, M, Singles, USA), Madalina Grigoriu (27, F, Singles, USA), Karolina Owczarek (26, F, Singles, Poland), Ben Cawston (25, M, Doubles, UK), Ludovica Sciaky (31, F, Doubles, Italy)
Matches across the 10-day tournament are played in doubles and mixed doubles formats where teams earn points based on wins.
The top-ranked sides progress to the knockout stages where the winners are determined by semi-finals and a final.
The fixtures are as follows:
Day 1: 24 January 2025, Friday
Match 1: Bengaluru vs Chennai
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 2: Hyderabad vs Pune
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 2: 25 January 2025, Saturday
Match 3: Mumbai vs Delhi
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 4: Bengaluru vs Pune
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 3: 26 January 2025, Sunday
Match 5: Hyderabad vs Delhi
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 6: Mumbai vs Chennai
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 4: 27 January 2025, Monday
Match 7: Bengaluru vs Hyderabad
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 8: Mumbai vs Pune
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 5: 28 January 2025, Tuesday
Match 9: Mumbai vs Hyderabad
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 10: Chennai vs Delhi
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 6: 29 January 2025, Wednesday
Match 11: Chennai vs Pune
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 12: Bengaluru vs Delhi
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 7: 30 January 2025, Thursday
Match 13: Delhi vs Pune
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 14: Hyderabad vs Chennai
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 8: 31 January 2025, Friday
Match 15: Mumbai vs Bengaluru
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Day 9: 1 February 2025, Saturday (Semi-Finals)
Match 16: TBC vs TBC
Time: 5:45 PM IST
Match 17: TBC vs TBC
Time: 8:45 PM IST
Day 10: 2 February 2025, Sunday (Final)
Match 18: TBC vs TBC
Time: 5:45 PM IST
The PKLBull Verdict
The WPBL is the first significant step in India’s aim to cement pickleball as an integral sport to be played and to be watched on a large audience scale.
With the amount of investment, commitment and high-profile individuals involved, there is a belief that the sport is here to stay, and it will only get bigger and better.
The exclusive partnership with FanCode is a great business move to reach more eyeballs, to gain more fans and to solidify pickleball’s presence in India as not just a recreational activity, but as a professional sport.
This tournament is just the beginning, and should it be a success, it is inevitable that this international expansion won’t just be a 10-day tournament, but rather a full, season-long competition that will be an essential stop on the pickleball circuit.