What is pickleball and why is it popular in urban areas of India like Mumbai? | Sports News

Mumbai, India – In a country where cricket dominates and football comes a close second, pickleball is quietly but slowly carving out its place – not just as a recreational game but also as a community game.

In the last two years, pickleball has gained popularity in all major cities of India, especially Mumbai and Bengaluru, attracting players from children to adults.

Founded in 1965 as a backyard children's game in the United States, pickleball is now played all over the world. A hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is easy to pick up and fun to play.

It works like a good workout without the physical intensity of tennis, perfect for older adults and those looking for less intense or socially inclined exercise.

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

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

The 28-year-old loved tennis but never got the chance to play competitively. Pickleball gave him a chance to get back on the field.

“Even though I'm not in shape, I can play easily,” he told Al Jazeera after a two-hour pickleball session. “I plan to play every weekend to keep running, and I hope to compete in local tournaments.”

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

Sujay Kumar, 53, a businessman and long-time badminton player, has signed up for a twice-weekly coaching course in the area.

“I recently injured my back, which forced me to take a break from badminton, so I took up pickleball,” Kumar said.

“I've been playing for a month, it was fun. There is a community for pickleball, not so for badminton. I have met about 20 new people,” he added.

What is a pickleball?

Pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor play.

Players use a hard paddle usually made of wood or composite materials to hit a plastic ball with a hole, which is about the size of a baseball but much lighter.

The craze for the sport started in Mumbai's top suburbs – Bandra, Andheri, Goregaon and Nariman Point – and is now spreading to other parts of India's second most populous city with a population of around 20 million.

“The low barrier to entry makes it very easy for anyone to fall in love with the sport,” says Chirag Shrivastav, founder of Elev8, a sports company that organizes pickleball tournaments.

In urban India, pickleball is becoming the go-to option for weekend activities. Friends get together for a game, or young couples plan “pickleball dates”. Pickleball tournaments are also used as a communication tool.

“Earlier, it was tennis or squash that connected investors or industrialists, but now they are meeting through a game of pickle,” says Shrivastav.

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

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

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

“There are six of us who run the 'Pickle Ricklers', but at least 26 to 27 people in our community play at a high level. We participate in competitions and organize our own little friendly competitions,” said the 24-year-old, who works in a consulting firm.

Businesses also see the beauty of pickleball, using it as a tool to sell their products.

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

Participants, selected after an application process, played pickleball and sipped kombucha and ginger ale.

“We now have a WhatsApp community called 'Dink and Drink' for all the people who would like to play with others who like it. It has around 70 to 80 members,” said Tarini Thakur, head of product and culture at LFC.

“We try to organize pickleball games every now and then. It's a great way to meet our customers and get them to try our drinks in a natural environment. “

Converting pro

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

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

His desire to compete made him move to Mumbai permanently. This month, he won gold and silver medals at the Hong Kong leg of the World Pickleball Championship.

“I am encouraged to play pickleball legally because it gives me financial stability,” said Thakare. “Actively, it has become a good option for sports people.”

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 has increased significantly after the 2022 Bainbridge Cup, the first international pickleball event to be held in India, named after the birthplace of the game.

“The prize money was $50,000, which was the biggest in pickleball in India,” Vishwakarma said. “Since that tournament, the popularity of pickleball has not stopped, and we players have gotten a lot of exposure.”

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

“The Olympics is a long-term vision,” Prabhoo said. “In that case, pickleball can only be considered for inclusion in the 2032 or 2036 Olympics. So we have time to prepare. … All the 12-year-olds we train now will be eligible to compete at that time.”

At the top level, pickleball is enjoying unprecedented momentum in India, and next month, Mumbai will host the country's first international pickleball league, the World Pickleball League.

The first season will include six teams, a mix of local talent and international players, and aims to attract participants from about 15 countries.

“The aim of this league is to make it commercially successful and grow the pickleball ecosystem in India,” said Gaurav Natekar, the league's founder.

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

Future of Pickleball in India

One of the main obstacles to the continued growth of pickleball in India is the lack of adequate infrastructure.

There is a huge gap between the number of courts and the need to play, but Natekar believes that is a “good problem to have” for the stakeholders, who are already working to build more courts. According to Prabhoo, Mumbai has almost 500 courts and it is expected to exceed 200 in Bengaluru in the next three months.

There is also the perception that some members of the urban elite class want to keep pickle as an exclusive sport, something that fuels both its importance to newcomers and its challenges in being accessible.

“Partly the rich want to keep it a special sport and maintain the profile of the sport,” explained Prabhoo.

“There are clubs in Mumbai where only the rich play – outsiders are not allowed. They form a team and play. … They want to keep it that way. This is where the importance of desire is for a person who is not so rich and wants to make it big,” he added.

As pickleball continues to grow in India, it is becoming more than just a sport. It is a bridge connecting the communities of various big cities and a route for ambitious athletes who dream of international recognition.