by Joe James
What’s the Story?
The Platinum Ryder Cup, which was officially announced in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), took place from March 8 to 9, with over 70 players at the Seven Fields, Jamu.
In the highly anticipated event, there was a battle between Team Home of Legends and Team Seven Fields, with the first team to reach 24 points claiming the championship title.
In a dominating display, the House of Legends won with 26 points, compared to Seven Fields, who finished with seven points.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Jammu & Kashmir Pickleball Association (JKPA), umbrellaed by the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA).
Bhisham Batra, Owner of Platinum Business Sports Network, said before the event: “Pickleball is becoming a sensation in India, and Jammu & Kashmir is no exception.
“We are committed to fostering this sport and creating more opportunities for players to showcase their talent. The Platinum Ryder Cup is a step towards making J&K a key hub for pickleball."
The J&K Amateur Pickleball Association have been working hard in recent years to generate interest in the sport with facilities and clubs.
The emergence of the talented Ragini Gupta has also helped to put the region on the pickleball map, despite some infrastructure issues.
Puneet Chopra, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pickleball Association, said: “Growing pickleball in J&K is our mission. This is a game for all ages, promoting fitness, agility, and social engagement.
“We are thrilled to host this tournament and look forward to seeing exciting competition unfold."
The conclusion of the event shows that there’s a bright future for the game in Jammu & Kashmir, should appropriate infrastructure be put in place.
Going Deeper
The Platinum Ryder Cup, which took place over the weekend of March 9 to 10, saw an exciting battle between Team Home of Legends and Seven Fields at the Seven Fields in Jammu.
Home of Legends gathered 27 points, with a resounding win that saw Seven Fields pick up just seven points.
The top performers of the tournament were Anurag Singh, the winner of Star Player, Jaideep & Arsh Aulakh, Guru Pratap Singh & Anurag Singh taking Best Pair in Category A, Pranav & Karman Singh, Aditya & Shubhanan for Category B’s Best Pair, and Category C’s best pair were Satvik & Saiyam, and Raksham & Sumit.
The Jammu & Kashmir Amateur Pickleball Association (JKPA), umbrellaed by the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA), were the organisers of the event.
At the beginning of the year, the JKPA affirmed their dedication to promoting the growth of pickleball by introducing its very own J&K State Pickleball Ranking.
The JKPA is also recognised by the Asian Pickleball Association (APA) and the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF), meaning players from the region can participate in official tournaments and rankings through the Pickleball World Rankings and DUPR.
Ragini Gupta has emerged as a young star from the region and has made an impact at national tournaments, recently finishing 4th at the IPA Nationals and winning a silver medal in the U-18s singles category.
When interviewed at the tournament, she pointed out that while the sport is popular, the infrastructure is an issue with the first and only current facility, called the Isle of Ball, which is a premium yet private venue, meaning the game is still gatekept. There has also been an issue with a shortage of coaches.
Pickleball as a sport is especially finding its place in J&K through the younger generations, highlighting that the sport is accessible to all ages and across the globe.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The Platinum Ryder Cup is an exciting milestone, not just for pickleball but for the Jammu & Kashmir region.
Pickleball is in its early stages of development here, but there is certainly a commitment to making it a mainstay. Many young people there are picking up the sport, and it is now chipping away at national competitions, as seen with Ragini Gupta, who is making waves.
However, she did comment on the lack of infrastructure in J&K at the beginning of the year. Now, some may consider that to be slightly harsh given pickleball is only just finding its feet, yet others would also agree that having facilities but making them private is just an unnecessary barrier of entry into the game.
I tend to agree with the latter. It is great that the JKPA is recognised nationally and internationally, but if younger people don’t necessarily have the means to pick up the game, then what is it all for? There will surely be further developments in the coming months as many positive steps have been taken to get J&K recognised in the pickleball world, and players like Gupta are important to this.
Having the events and talent is a progression to be commended, but the next step must be making more facilities accessible to everyone and creating public courts. Until then, reaching the next level in pickleball will be limited.
Pickleball’s appeal lies in accessibility for everyone, and privatised courts do not follow that tagline, but only time will tell, and that is not taking anything away from the great work done already by governing bodies in J&R to generate more opportunities for players.