PANAJI
India’s growing reputation as a potential racquet sports hub is all set to get a big boost with the launch of the World Pickleball League (WPBL), the first-ever professional pickleball league in the country.
The WPBL is being launched by Natekar Sports and Gaming (NSG), a company owned by former tennis player and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Natekar in collaboration with Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India (SETVI).
Pickleball is like badminton, tennis, and table tennis all in one. Played with paddles and a plastic ball on a smaller court, it's easy to learn and fun for all ages. Invented in the US in 1965, it's quickly becoming a popular sport across the world and is also gaining traction in India.
Natekar, Founder and CEO of Natekar Sports and Gaming, said: "At NSG, we have always looked to fostering a vibrant sports culture and constantly explore opportunities to grow the sporting ecosystem in India and pickleball has emerged as the perfect embodiment of that ethos. Its easy-to-learn-and-play nature coupled with it being age and gender agnostic makes it the ideal sport for people to come out and play thereby democratizing sports participation like never before."
The inaugural edition of the league will witness six franchises compete for the title. Each team will have five to eight players including international stars. The league will also mandate the teams to have Indian players and junior players who will form a part of the team to rub shoulders and learn from the best players in the world.
NSG will have SETVI as their strategic investor and partner in the league which will be conducted under the aegis of the All India Pickleball Federation and International Pickleball Federation. Arvind Prabhoo, the Pickleball Federation president, welcomed the launch of the league.
"Pickleball has been one of the fastest-growing sports in India since 2008. A professional league like this will only give impetus to the growth of the sport," Prabhoo commented.
Currently played in over 80 countries, pickleball is extremely popular in the Asia Pacific region and has been growing steadfastly in India in the last few years with over 30,000 amateur players and 8,000 registered players across 18 states already playing the sport. The sport requires less space than tennis and can be played by anyone from the age of seven to 70, making it one of the most popular recreational as well as competitive sports in many parts of the world.
