Pickleball India Open 2025: Here's why the sport is becoming popular in Mumbai

When he started playing pickleball in 2020 little did Armaan Bhatia know that he would become Indiarsquos numberone player The Kharbased athletersquos motive behind picking up the sport was purely funmdashit was a hobby and a way to stay active during the COVID19 pandemicldquoI used to play tennis but I wanted to try a new sport A friend suggested pickleball so I gave it a try Back then I didnrsquot even know Irsquod play professionallyrdquo recalls Bhatia It wasnrsquot until 2022 when he won his first nationallevel tournament that he realised pickleball could be more than just a hobbyThe 25yearold says ldquoEven then I was playing for the joy of it not with any grand ambitions I wasnrsquot going out of my way to compete I wasnrsquot hitting the gym or maintaining a diet like a professional athlete Those things have come into the picture nowrdquoArmaan Bhatia one of hottest names in international pickleball right now says India has the potential be the best country in the sport PicInstagramWhile Bhatia had a knack for the sport and a natural talent which he may be too humble to admit many amateurs turned professional soon after they picked up the sport in the last five years They will now test their mettle at the inaugural edition of the Pickleball Indian Open tournament that will be hosted at Goregaon East starting tomorrow till February 9With reportedly over 50000 players and over 1000 courts countrywide it turns out that India is one of the leading countries in the sport that has taken the world by storm Though invented in the US in 1965 the sport picked up globally only during the COVID19 pandemicAnd the city has emerged as the hub of the sport in India with 120 courts in the Mumbai Metropolitan Regionmdashthe highest number across the country Delhi comes next with 80 pickleball courts One of the reasons Mumbai has made the sport more popular is perhaps because of celebrities like Alia Bhatt Aamir Khan Karan Johar Janhvi Kapoor Samantha Ruth Prabhu and many more who have taken to itPranav KohliBut its appeal is not just because of the pop culture link Many see it as a light and fun sport that is easy to pick up blending elements of tennis badminton and ping pong The game is played with a perforated plastic ball and smooth paddle on a court thatrsquos about half the size of a tennis court The rules are not too complex making it accessible for beginners but as players gain experience it quickly becomes challenging fastpaced and competitiveBhatia believes that India may have the potential to become number one globally ldquoThe US is undoubtedly the leader in pickleball given that itrsquos the sportrsquos country of origin They have superior facilities more experienced coaches and a wellestablished ecosystem that has been growing for yearsrdquo Bhatia explains ldquoHowever I firmly believe that India is on a trajectory to not only catch up but potentially surpass the US in the coming yearsmdashif not within the next two years then certainly within threerdquoBelapurbased Poorva Chavan was on the lookout for a tennis academy when she stumbled upon a Reddit thread that mentioned pickleball ldquoI got curious did a little more digging and eventually found a community playing it nearby in Khargharrdquo she tells Sunday midday It has now been nearly two months that she has been playing the sportFrom left Babita Saini Poorva Chavan Karunesh Sharma and Srijith Shivan play pickleball with a larger group at least twice a week in KhargharShe explains ldquoI have never really learned any other sport before and I wanted to give this a shot And I have been lucky to have a supportive community around merdquoShe went for beginner sessions at the Kharghar court where she was taught the rules techniques and even the sportrsquos history but ldquoone can learn this sport on their own also as therersquos so much information online from YouTube videos to tutorialsrdquo she saysNearly all the players we spoke to amateur or professional had one thing in commonmdashthey were all drawn to some sort of racquet sport but chose pickleball paddles over traditional racquets when they discovered it Malabar Hillresident Rushabh Mody was just starting to venture into paddle tennis when he discovered pickleballldquoPaddle tennis is closer to tennis but pickleball has its own unique viberdquo he explains ldquoItrsquos easier to pick up and you can get the hang of it in just 20 minutes even if yoursquove never played beforerdquo Itrsquos been oneandahalf years since he picked up the sport In a few years he may be regarded as one of the firstgeneration players of the sport given itrsquos just five years old in India with a major boost only after 2022Spending time with friends is another major factor driving pickleballrsquos popularity Nearly every amateur player we spoke to mentioned that when their friends hear about them playing pickleball they are naturally intrigued for two reasons First they are curious about what pickleball is and second the name itself has a fun ring to it Chavan says ldquoExploring and learning a new game together creates a shared experience making it a great way to bond and enjoy quality time with friendsrdquoBut as more and more people choose pickleball over traditional racquet sports one may wonder ldquoWill pickleball overtake other racquet sportsrdquo Experts think thatrsquos a long shot ldquoI donrsquot see pickleball overtaking tennis in popularity anytime soon given tennisrsquos massive viewership and legacy Itrsquos hard to compete with that kind of historyrdquo says BhatiaMany however believe the sport may surpass badminton or table tennis due to its ease of adaptationBut there are those who aspire for greater things with this new sport When Aneesh Bhasin cofounder of Svami Drinks first picked up pickleball and paddle tennis he approached the two racquet sports as seriously as any other sport ldquoI have been playing paddle tennis for about nine months and pickleball for six months nowrdquo he shares ldquoIt started casually with a group of friends but it quickly became a regular part of my routine Now I play the sport six days a weekrdquoFor Bhasin paddle tennis takes the lead when it comes to intensity ldquoPaddle is a more rigorous sportmdashit gives me a better workoutrdquo he explains ldquoPickleball especially singles can be tiring too but paddle is definitely more demandingrdquo Despite his preference for paddle he doesnrsquot dismiss pickleball as a casual sport In fact he believes itrsquos unfair to label it as a ldquononserious sportrdquo without truly understanding it ldquoThe intensity of any sport depends on how seriously you take itrdquo he saysHis goal is clear he wants to compete at a higher level ldquoI know my friends might laugh and my coach might have a heart attack hearing this but I want to get good enough to reach the semis and the finals of tournaments within the next yearrdquo he saysCost is a factor that might get in the way of the sportrsquos mass appeal At the moment pickleball is perceived as an elite activity popular among celebrities and the wealthy What adds to this perception is that the best courts predominantly fall in upscale neighbourhoods such as Juhu Bandra and South Mumbai although there are quite a few courts now across the suburbs as wellCourt fees in Mumbai range from Rs 1400 to Rs 4000 per hour and as per experts a decent pickleball paddle costs around Rs 60008000 and the topend ones go up to Rs 20000 and above making it an expensive sport to pursue seriously However Mody who plays at the Mathuradas Mill Compound facility in Lower Parel mentions that court rental costs are typically shared among the players so it comes up to Rs 700 to Rs 2000 per personCommunity members are now working to remove the high barrier to entry into the sport making it more accessible for all Pranav Kohli CEO of Pickleball United a USregistered company that manufactures pickleballrelated products in Bihar explains ldquoWhen I first stepped into the world of pickleball in 2022 Mumbai was quickly adopting the sport Coupled with celebrity endorsements we could tell that the sport had the potential to go panIndia But for that to happen it couldnrsquot remain an expensive and niche sport We wanted to make it accessible to the massesrdquoKohlirsquos brand started by offering ldquoaccess paddlesrdquo at affordable prices starting at Rs 999 and Rs 1499 ldquoThis was a gamechanger Compared to other racquet sports like tennis or paddle tennis where equipment can cost thousands we wanted to ensure that anyone could pick up a paddle and playrdquoFrom an infrastructure standpoint too pickleball is already more affordable than many other racket sports Experts told Sunday midday that while a tennis court costs around Rs 20 lakh to construct a pickleball court costs just Rs 555 lakhWhile pickleball has gained significant popularity in recent years government recognition of the sport is still a long way off Kohli also the Founder and CEO of Pickleball World Rankings a unified global ranking system says ldquoInternationally pickleball isnrsquot yet recognised by the Olympic Committee which makes it harder for the Indian government to support it But wersquore working closely with the Global Pickleball Federation the Asian Pickleball Association and the Indian Pickleball Association to change thatrdquo50KNo Of players in the country120No of pickleball courts in MMRRs 14K to Rs 4KHourly charge for pickleball courts in the cityRs 1KRs 20KCost of a pickleball paddle