‘Pickleball Can Become India’s Second Most Played Sport After Cricket’ | Pickleball

‘Pickleball Can Become India’s Second Most Played Sport After Cricket’ (Source: AI Generated).

At the Rise Up Championship – Pickleball By The Bay 2025, PWR co-founder Aditya Khanna called India’s first-ever PWR 1000 tournament “truly special,” praising both the venue and the competition.

“You can see the sea on the beach, the courts are beautifully set up, and the organisers have done a great job putting up this event,” Khanna said. “The best players of India are playing this event, and we’ve seen some great action.”

Explaining the significance of the PWR 1000, he added: “The prize money is Rs 25 lakhs, and the point system is a 1000-point system. Players gain valuable national ranking points and prize money. Events like this are going to encourage juniors and pros to push their limits.”

Pickleball, Khanna stressed, is seeing exponential growth. “In the last five months after the national recognition of the Indian Pickleball Association, more than 100 events have taken place and over 15,000 unique players participated. It shows the sport is growing at a multifold pace across all age groups.”

He also sees the sport breaking barriers beyond metros. “Infrastructure development is happening in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, but good quality coaching and more events are needed. IPA’s vision is also to put pickleball into schools.”

On its inclusive nature, Khanna said: “Pickleball is a sport for everyone. You have kids as young as seven and people in their eighties playing. It’s easy to learn, fun to play, and it’s played equally by men and women. Everyone should pick up a paddle and get on court.”

For him, pickleball is also a lifestyle. “Gym is great, but it gets monotonous. On a pickleball court, every day is different. You meet new people, travel for tournaments. It’s a way of life. I feel pickleball will be the second most actively played sport in India after cricket, that’s the vision,” he concluded.

About Indian Pickleball Association:

The Indian Pickleball Association is the official governing body for pickleball in India and is dedicated to promoting, developing, and organising the sport across the country. The association continues to inspire players of all ages and skill levels to embrace the game through events like the IPA Nationals. IPA is affiliated with the Asian Pickleball Association (APA) and the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF).

About Pickleball World Ranking:

PWR is a national ranking system that spans all age groups, skill divisions, and formats -including singles, doubles, and mixed categories. It serves as the official National Sports Federation Ranking for India. With multiple sanctioned events taking place every week across the country, PWR defines the top Indian players at every level and forms the foundation for team selection at the school, district, state, and national stages.

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