Pickleball: This Delicious And Addictive Sport Is The Talk Of Town

It’s a quiet Sunday morning in a remote and tranquil residential pocket, deep in the south of Bengaluru. A sudden burst of applause, however, shatters the calm. Celebratory cheers ring aloud and players high-five in excitement.

Yet another game of weekend-cricket, you’d think. Not quite.

Welcome to the world of Pickleball.

With over 400-participants from 17-states converging in the ‘start-up’ capital of the country for the Bengaluru 2024 Open, the city got its first big taste of the sport.

Played on a hard-court surface spanning 20ft by 40ft, Pickleball is a racquet sport that might remind onlookers of tennis, squash or perhaps table-tennis . Only here, the racquet makes way for a padel, made of wooden carbon-fiber. And the plastic ball used contains 40-holes, to make it less wind-resistant of course.

Players begin a point with an under-arm serve, much like table-tennis and points are won on-serve. Win eleven-points (with a difference of two) to bag a game and win two such games to pocket a match.

So far so good. But there’s a twist.

Unlike tennis, where players sprint up the net to volley the ball, in Pickleball, a line after the net on either side indicates a zone (the ‘kitchen’) that players aren’t allowed to step into when playing a stroke. Naturally, the rallies are longer and patience prevails, as players look to outwit their opponents in a battle of attrition.

But how did the sport assume significance enough for players from across the country to congregate in Bengaluru?

A Transition Made Easy

“Pickleball has been around for the past decade in India,” said Dhiren Patel, the national coach.

“It was being played in certain areas of Rajasthan and Maharashtra but now, the game has grown to several other states,” he added.

Interestingly, several players have a background in tennis.

Like Dr. Ajeet Bhardwaj for instance, who is ranked no.1 in the Pickleball Global world charts in the 60+ age-category.

“Pickleball requires skills that are similar to tennis. The skills and the hand-eye coordination are all the same and it was easy for me to start playing.”

Meanwhile, Rakshikha Ravi, now ranked no. 2 in the country in the ‘Open Women's’ category, began playing the sport during the lockdown for recreation and has now traded tennis for the sport.

“It was easy for me to pick up and it’s fun to play. And during matches, in spite of being behind, one can always come-back.”

Atul Edward, on the other hand, made the switch from badminton.

“I played competitive badminton previously but hadn’t competed for two-decades. And now, I’ve been playing Pickleball for the past decade and it has helped fill the gap for me.”

While some play the sport in keeping with the ease of transition from other racquet sports, others have a different perspective.

“Its addictive”

Priyanka Mehta, a fitness coach and nutritionist, picked up a padel rather accidentally for a tournament and low and behold, is now hooked.

“I just enjoy playing the sport and find it truly addictive now.”

A quick look across the courts at the Bengaluru Open 2024 and it was easy to spot the presence of families and friends cheering each other on.

“I started playing and now I’ve introduced my family members and friends to the sport,” said Dr. Ranganath, Joint Commissioner at the Income Tax Department.

For some, it’s a way to squeeze in a fitness routine into an otherwise busy life.

“It’s fun. I play with my family and it helps me stay fit,” said Shivkumar, an Excise Inspector at the Karnataka State Excise Department.

But Is Pickleball Just A Recreational Sport?

While onlookers might think that it is, Dhiren Patel argues otherwise.

Earlier this month, Patel won the US Pickleball Championship in the men’s singles 5.0 pro 40+ category and is now ranked no. 1 in the world in the 35+ age category.

“Skill-wise Indians are on par, if not better than the overseas players but we lack in fitness and exposure,” he said.

And that’s an area that Rajath Kankar is keeping a close eye on.

As the General Secretary of the Indian Pickleball Association and the Karnataka State Pickleball Association, he has his task cut out.

“I’m passionate about growing the sport. We now have 17-states and over 9,000 players across India and I’m targeting a 3x growth over the next year.”

But growth isn’t going to be easy.

The Infrastructure Hurdle

While recreational Pickleball can be played at apartment complexes and at office cafeterias, professional standards require dedicated facilities.

“We’re now relying on tennis academies with hard courts. Going forward, to grow the sport and help players play professionally at the international level, we want to set up a high-performance centre and for that, we need the involvement of brands,” added Kankar.

The early signs though, are encouraging.

A case-in-point being Puravankara and Decathlon's support of the Bengaluru Open 2024.

“We intend to support the well-being of individuals and pickleball is appropriate for players of all ages,” said Akshima Pawra from Purva Streaks, a brand of realty giant Puravankara.

Clearly, the interest and excitement levels are unlike any other sport in recent years.

In the US, the game is already skyrocketing in popularity with the likes of Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Maria Sharapova embracing the padel. Similarly, stars like Lebron James and Tom Brady have invested in professional teams.

So, don’t be surprised if in a couple of years, Tinseltown gets involved and Pickleball gets its own IPL-like tournament.