Pickleball, one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide, is poised to make a significant splash in India with the inaugural edition of the World Pickleball League (WPL). Combining the sport’s rapid rise in popularity with top-tier global talent and an entertainment-packed format, the league is set to redefine sports engagement in the country. The WPL, co-founded by former Indian tennis stars Gaurav Natekar and Arati Ponnappa Natekar, promises a competitive and inclusive spectacle while tapping into pickleball’s growing community appeal.
With the Cricket Club of India (CCI) hosting the league, it marks a historic moment — the iconic venue’s first non-cricket sporting event in over 15 years. Scheduled from January 24 to February 02, the league will bring together players from 14 countries, delivering a truly global pickleball showcase.
For Gaurav Natekar, a seven-time national tennis champion and Arjuna Awardee, the transition to pickleball was natural, driven by the sport’s accessibility and inclusive ethos.
“Pickleball is going to explode in India primarily for three reasons. First, it is very easy to play but tough to master. It requires very little space and significantly less infrastructure compared to building a badminton, squash, tennis, volleyball, or basketball court,” he told India Today.
“The third reason is that it’s age-agnostic. Forty per cent of the players in this sport are women. I mean, you know, my background of, you know, me and my wife, Arati, who’s played tennis for India, my dad, my in-laws, and as a family, we could never really get down to playing one sport together. A couple of months back, 16 of us played pickleball together. The oldest was 66, and the youngest was 11. That’s when it really hit me that this is a game for community and relationship building.”
STAR-STUDDED LEAGUE WITH COMPETITIVE EDGE
The WPL recently concluded its player draft, selecting 48 players from a pool of 75 contracted athletes, representing 14 countries, including India, Spain, Japan, South Korea, and the UK. With franchises based in Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Delhi, each team comprises eight players, four men and four women, with a mandatory Indian player in every squad.
The league’s format ensures high-octane action through 90 matches, featuring men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. A round-robin stage will lead to the semi-finals and a grand finale, guaranteeing fans thrilling competition throughout the event.
Celebrity involvement and big-ticket partnerships are amplifying the league’s profile. Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu owns the Chennai franchise, while Swiggy has taken ownership of Team Mumbai. Natekar Sports and Gaming’s collaboration with Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India (SETVI) ensures a robust foundation for the league, leveraging entertainment expertise to attract audiences and investors.
Addressing the competition in India’s budding pickleball ecosystem, Natekar emphasised, “I think there is competition in everything, right? One thing that playing sport at the highest level has taught me is that one has to focus on what one needs to do. So I’m very focused, me and Aarti are both very focused on the next point in the next game.
“We believe in our ability and our capability. This is the first time, from what I am told, that there are two international-level players who’ve actually started a league. Otherwise, leagues are generally started by business houses. This is the first time that we are attempting to do a league of this scale.”
COLD WAR BETWEEN TENNIS AND PICKLEBALL?
Natekar also addressed the much-talked-about cold war between tennis and pickleball. The former tennis player acknowledged concerns raised by many, including Novak Djokovic, about pickleball eating into the tennis ecosystem.
“Tennis is my first love. Tennis has given me everything. And not only me, but even my wife, Arti Ponnappa, you know, we’ve got everything from tennis. I think having said that we are in the sports business. It’s almost as if, you know, you’re asking a cricketer, why are you getting into another sport, right? So it’s not that I don’t love tennis. Tennis has and will be my first love. While I think Novak’s comment needs to be taken a little seriously because he obviously knows what he’s saying. I don’t know whether it is a huge threat to tennis. I think that there is a space for both sports to exist and coexist,” the former tennis player said.
All eyes are on the World Pickleball League. At a time when pickleball is slowly but steadily becoming more popular, the WPL is positioned to accelerate the sport’s growth in India, combining athletic excellence with entertainment to create a new cultural phenomenon.
WORLD PICKLEBALL LEAGUE FORMAT
Each team comprises a total of eight players, including four men and four women athletes, with a mandatory Indian player in each squad. The league format will comprise a round-robin stage, where each team plays against the others, resulting in 15 ties. Each tie will feature five games, including men’s singles, women’s singles, doubles in each category, and mixed doubles. Each team will play a total of five ties at the group stage, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals and finals. This format will allow fans to witness a total of 90 matches during the entire duration of the league.
FULL SQUADS FOR WPL INAUGURAL SEASON
Delhi | Alexa Schull, Isha Lakhani, Eduardo Irizarry, Willy Chung, Lauren Mercado, Leander Lazaro, Kenta Miyoshi, Aiko Yoshitomi.
Pune | William Sobek, Molly Knaggs, Vanshik Kapadia, Brooke Revuelta, Louis Laville, Molly O’Donoghue, Mateusz Matysik, Rocio Cardo.
Mumbai | Brandon Lane, Glauka Carvahal Lane, Mayur Patil, Sabrina Dominguez, Mihae Kwon, Kim Eung Gwon, Bartosz Karbownik, Katie Morris.
Bengaluru | Jack Foster, Katerina Stewart, Vrushali Thakare, Trang Hyunh McClain, Marcelo Jardim, Alejandra Bobaria, Felix Grunert, Mauro Garcia.
Chennai | Maria Klokotzy, Etienne Blaszkewycz, Sonu Vishwakarma, Tanner Tomassi, Thaddea Lock, Edward Perez, Tyra Calderwood, Sarah Jane Lim.
Hyderabad | Max Freeman, Ava Cavataio, Kuldip Mahajan, Ross Whittaker, Madalina Grigoriu, Karolina Owczarek, Ben Cawston, Ludovica Sciaky.