IPBL: Mumbai Smashers clinch maiden win

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) Mumbai Smashers beat Capital Warriors Gurgaon 4-2 to notch their maiden win in the Indian Pickleball League and keep their knockout hopes alive, here on Friday.

In the other match, Hyderabad Royals fought back to hold Bengaluru Blasters to a 3–3 draw.

The results created an extraordinary deadlock, with three knockout hopefuls level on Tie Points, Match Points, and Head-to-Head, forcing a three-team play-in between Mumbai, Gurgaon, and Bengaluru for the final knockout spot.

The round-robin mini-tournament -- Grand Rallies to 25 points -- will be contested on Saturday. If no clear winner emerges, qualification will be decided by the difference between points won and lost across both the Grand Rallies.

Both Mumbai Smashers and Capital Warriors Gurgaon needed a win in the opening match. The world No. 3 Quang Duong set Mumbai roaring with a ruthless 15–1 demolition of Arik Badami, but Gurgaon hit back as Stavya Bhasin and Jack Munro controlled the kitchen line to take the men’s doubles 15–9.

Allison Harris then steadied Mumbai with a 15–11 win after surviving a fightback from Emilia Schmidt. But Schmidt and Naimi Mehta dragged Gurgaon at level again with a 15–12 women’s doubles victory.

The Grand Rally turned into a thriller with the teams trading points before Mumbai surged late to claim a dramatic 21–18 win, sealing their first victory of the season. Ammol Ramchandani (Mumbai) and Schmidt were named the Players of the Tie.

Bengaluru Blasters entered their must-win clash against already-qualified Hyderabad Royals with all guns blazing. Phuc Huynh held off a late surge from Divyanshu Kataria to take the men’s singles 15–10, before returning with teenager Arjun Singh to repeat the scoreline in the men’s doubles and push Bengaluru into a commanding 2–0 lead.

Pei Chuan Kao then produced one of Bengaluru’s finest performances of the season, recovering from an early deficit and outfoxing Megan Fudge 15–13 to make it 3–0.

Hyderabad refused to go quietly. Fudge and Shreya Chakraborty pulled one back with a 15–7 win in the women’s doubles, setting up a pressure-soaked Grand Rally. A point-for-point contest unravelled until Hyderabad finally edged ahead to seal a dramatic 21–19 win and secure a 3–3 draw. Arjun and Kao were named the Players of the Tie. PTI PDS PDS DDV