Indian Pickleball League begins, six teams to compete for trophy

New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI) The Indian Pickleball League commenced here on Monday amid great fanfare with the organisers saying it had tremendous potential, and promised to make it a leading sport in the country.

The league, launched by The Times Group and sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) under the Sports Ministry, will see six franchise teams compete for the glittering trophy, which was unveiled at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

The event, which will conclude on December 7, will see Bengaluru Blasters, Hyderabad Royals, Chennai Super Warriors, Mumbai Smashers, Capital Warriors and Lucknow Leopards vie for the top prize.

Unveiling the trophy, the Delhi CM said, "India has always been a country where sport has played a vital role in life. Every Indian wants to pick up one sport or the other. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought a culture of sport in the country, every India is motivated to get involved in some sport or the other.

"Pickeball is a new sport which has got added to a long list of disciplines in India. We in the Delhi government will ensure pickleball becomes a part of the school curriculum in the state," she added.

Inaugurating the league, Vineet Jain, Managing Director, The Times Group, said, the inaugural edition "marks the start of something truly transformative" in sport.

"This is India stepping on to the world pickleball stage with confidence and conviction. This league is not just a competition, it is the beginning of a sporting movement in India, one that tests every young player," said Jain.

"This is a sport where you can grow, shine and dream without limits. We are fully committed to our mission of making pickleball the second-most popular sport after cricket in India." Jain also said that in order to popularise the sport, 500 seats at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall had been reserved for Delhi students to come and watch live action.

"Today we don't just launch a season, we launch a new era. Years from now when people ask where India's pickleball journey began, they will look back at this moment, this arena, players and team owners who believed in this league," he said.

He asked the players competing in the league to "raise the bar, and then rise above". PTI AM AM KHS KHS