India is set to get its first-ever professional pickleball league with the WPBL. other sports news

India’s growing reputation as a potential racquet sports hub is set to get a massive boost with the launch of the World Pickleball League (WPBL), the first professional pickleball league. The league is conceptualized by former Davis Cup tennis star and Arjuna awardee Gaurav Natekar’s Natekar Sports & Gaming (NSG) and Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India (SETVI). Pickleball, a racket sport, combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton and has gained significant popularity globally.

Drawing on his extensive experience of over 35 years as a player, consultant, entrepreneur and administrator, Natekar said: “We are proud to unveil the inaugural global professional pickleball league in India. Its easy-to-learn and play Being age and gender agnostic combined with nature makes it the ideal sport for people to come out and play, democratizing sporting participation like never before.”

Six franchises will compete for the title in the inaugural edition of the league. Each team will have five to eight players, including international stars. It will also be mandatory for the teams in the league to have Indian players and junior players who will be a part of the team to learn shoulder to shoulder with the best players in the world.

President of All India Pickleball Federation and International Pickleball Federation Arvind Prabhu also welcomed the professional pickleball league and said that this initiative can change the future of the game in the country.

“Pickleball has been one of the fastest growing sports in India since 2008. A professional league like this will only accelerate the growth of the game and gives me confidence that our potential goal of achieving 1 million players in the next 5 years It is within our reach to engage in pickleball across the country and there are chances that the sport will be mentioned among the top-10 sports in the country,” he commented.

Currently played in over 80 countries, pickleball is extremely popular in the Asia Pacific region and over the past few years the game has already grown in India with over 30,000 amateur players and 8000 registered players across 18 states. The game requires less space than tennis and can be played by anyone aged seven to 70, making it one of the most popular recreational and competitive sports in many parts of the world.

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