In a Pickle.
This week, The Colour Bar continues to look at how there is an increasing appetite to mess with traditional sports formats (much to the horror of purists), or build entirely new formats altogether. Efforts that seem to be getting more innovative and bold, as the digital and youth landscapes continue to change dramatically.
Increasingly, more voices insist that traditional just won't cut it anymore in the world of sports. Football. Basketball. Golf. Pickleball. More new formats and approaches are emerging than probably at any other point in sports history. Almost always aiming for faster, more fun, more engaging, more flexible, more personality driven, digital-first. Traditional leagues still dominate, but experiments in blending sport, entertainment and interactivity are gaining traction.
I have been exploring this space of late, and wrote some weeks back about the landscape in general, and the Baller League in particular. Today I look at something born in Washington, cooking globally, and now brewing in India.
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Pickle. Set. Go.
In early 2025, the storied Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai witnessed an unprecedented event. The prestigious sporting venue became home to India's newest sports venture: the World Pickleball League (WPBL). In a sporting calendar that’s every increasingly packed, this represented a bold reimagining of how emerging sports could be crafted for a largely single-sport-loving nation. The World Pickleball League sought to do this with a sport that has rapidly gained popularity worldwide.
Tennis’s Quirky Sister?
Pickleball is a hybrid sport combining elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. Created in 1965 in the US, as a family-friendly activity, it has grown worldwide due to its accessibility for all ages and skill levels. Fast-paced, played on a small court with a perforated plastic ball and solid paddles; easy to learn, but offering strategic depth for competitive play; features doubles or singles matches, underhand serves, and a unique “kitchen” zone near the net that limits volleys. A mix of agility, reflexes, and precision, the sport has grown in the last decade and especially post-pandemic.
Pickleball’s surge in the U.S. has been followed by a rapid spread around the world, further amplified by high-profile endorsements from the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady, multiple celebrity-backed leagues, abd a growing presence on major sports networks like ESPN. The sport's global governing body is is International Federation of Pickleball (IFP), overseeing the sport’s rules and growth in over 40 countries.
Last year, Taylor Swift had a TikTok 'Fortnight' challenge around her single Fortnight. One of her own 14 TiktToks for the challenge featured her playing Pickleball while wearing a ruffled lavender skirt that sold out in 15 minutes. (The skirt just happened to also be designed by a Swifty).
I personally bumped into this growing popularity last year, when in the summer holidays I looked to sign up for a local parents-kids starter session in Pickleball by Sports Singapore. It was booked out in no time.
But wait- is this Padel?
Ha! Fair question, one I have heard a few times. Though similar, Padel is another game altogether created in Mexico in 1969. It too, is easy to pick up, social in nature, and has enjoyed a similar popularity to Pickleball. So purist tennis fans have two, not one, such sport to turn up their noses at.
But back to India.
Love at first sight—that's exactly how I'd describe my feelings for pickleball. It caught my attention from the moment I was introduced to it. -_Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
India Calling
Pickleball has gained significant traction in India in recent years with an estimated 50,000+ players and nearly 1,000 courts as of 2024, and 40% of players being women.
Former Indian tennis players Gaurav Natekar and Arati Ponnappa Natekar spearheaded the inception of the World Pickleball League in India in 2024, working closely with the All-India Pickleball Association (AIPA), which is affiliated with the aforementioned International Pickleball Federation (IPF).
Our vision with the WPBL is to blend sport and entertainment, creating an immersive experience that resonates with India's diverse audience. _Gaurav Natekar
The inherent easy nature of the sport aside, a crowded attention market always puts pressure to find more ways to engage. The WPBL on their part brought several innovations:
These elements were add-ons; but formed part of a strategy aiming for an accessible, immersive sporting experience. A key part of that was the involvement of celebrities.
Celebrities Ahoy!
Little happens in India without an attempt to rope in celebrities of all shapes and sizes. The WPBL’s approach to celebrity involvement was to push for actual ownership & involvement (versus only ‘ambassadorship’). Possibly most of note was actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s investment; she acquired the Chennai Super Champs franchise. Other high-profile team owners included filmmaker Atlee and Priya Atlee (Bengaluru Jawans), actors Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh (Pune United), and food delivery giant Swiggy (Mumbai Pickle Power) which also roped in cricket superstar Rishabh Pant later.
Beyond ownership, the league integrated live entertainment, gunning for a festival-like atmosphere - performers included Raja Kumari, The Yellow Diary, Taba Chake, and magician Suhani Shah. Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Ali Fazal added a touch of star power by participating in a special exhibition match. All of these underpinned WPBL’s oft-stated vision of blending sport with entertainment, engaging fans both on and off the court.
A nod to the younger me and a commitment to every little girl who's been told she can't. _Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
Structure and Competition
The inaugural season featured six franchises: Mumbai Pickle Power, Pune United, Bengaluru Jawans, Chennai Super Champs, Delhi Smashers, and Hyderabad Super Stars. The Bangalore name sticks out a bit, but its incongruity is explained by owner/film director Atlee having directed the smash hit film Jawan. Go figure. But, it was these very Jawans who claimed the championship with a 3-1 victory over Pune United.
Eyeballs and awareness are key in a market like India. We don’t have any numbers yet, but the league’s reach extended through television broadcast rights with Sony Sports Network and digital streaming on FanCode, produced by sports production veterans Gaurav Bahal & Vishal Arora at Sportzworkz (some highlights here).
Back to the CCI.
So it was WPBL’s ambition that led to the transformation of the CCI's cricket ground into a pickleball arena, marking the first time in over 15 years that CCI's cricket ground was repurposed for a non-cricket sporting event.
The transformation of CCI's cricket ground itself became a testament to this vision. "The fine leg area became a bustling hospitality zone, while third man hosted practice courts. If you decided to play a ramp shot, the ball would land up at center court!" said Indranil Das Blah , consultant on the league. Of course, the ground was returned to its pristine cricket-ready condition after the event.
While you'll find many holes in a pickleball, you won't in a well produced sports event.
_Nandan Kamath, Author, Lawyer, Sports enthusiast.
Looking Ahead
WPBL is not the only game in town either. The Indian Open 2025 looks to bring over 1,000 players from around the world competing on 25 courts across Pro & Challenger categories, including some (more) city-based franchises. There is a clutch of other, smaller events too.
There is a wave of euphoria & promise around pickleball. Being relatively niche can be a boon. Yet, these are early days and the stakeholders in any new sport/event like this must be ready to stay for the long-haul. Will the wave of popularity spread across cities? Can the entertainment-sport hybrid model sustain appeal beyond the initial buzz?
WPBL and pickleball’s approach suggests that success may lie not in competing with established sports. In a country where cricket’s hegemony is unchallenged, any league’s ability to carve out its own space will depend on blending sport, entertainment, and technology; scaling small but passionate groups; and significantly, how smartly they can leverage communities.
I’d hope the jury stays very much out on this, and some time is given (and taken) to build it. Why? For the potential of this sport to draw people in— not just fans but participants; the seemingly native social and fun character; and the sheer groundswell of positivity around the sport.
So- care to get into a pickle?
· The WPBL · Pickleball becomes smash hit in Singapore & beyond · India pickleball 1 · India pickleball 2 · History of the game ·?
I have my eye on basketball, athletics too in the coming weeks. Next week The Colour Bar will be back with a collision of creative, entertainment, media and more.
Thanks for reading!
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