CHENNAI: At the Ice Water Sports Arena in Express Avenue, Logesh Kumar R, business development manager and coach, is busy overseeing the turf ripped out of his futsal court. “We’re going pickleball now,” he says. The first pickleball court in the city, the arena has been seeing more than 600 people walking in to play every month within a year of its opening. “We’ve decided to turn our futsal ground into a pickleball court, an addition to our three existing courts,” says Logesh.
This is just one of several sports centres in Chennai to expand to meet the growing demand for pickleball. On Nov 26, the Tamil Nadu Pickleball Association (TNPA) launched season one of the Tamil Nadu Pickleball Premier League (TNPPL) “to help upcoming athletes find a footing in the sport”, says Mohit Kumar, general secretary of TNPA.
The sport, says Mohit, is acing its way through the state with more than 100 pickleball courts all over Tamil Nadu and more than 700 registered and 2,000 recreational players.
It’s even caught the fancy of stars such as Arvind Swamy and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who has decided to back one of the teams in the upcoming league. “One minute I’m reading about it, and in another, it’s everywhere, everyone is playing it and now so am I,” says Samantha, owner of the Chennai franchise in the World Pickleball League (WPBL).
Like the TNPPL, the other global leagues that will take place next year are Pickleball World Rankings (PWR) launched by Andre Agassi and World Pickleball Series launched by tennis player Gaurav Natekar which will open up avenues for pickleball players from Tamil Nadu.
With the sport even taking off in tier-two cities, pickleball trainers say there is a massive increase in interest every year.
“Parents see it as a fledgling competitive sport and are keen on getting their children in early so there’s scope to shine,” says Jagannathan T, a trainer in Vellore who recently set up the town's first pickleball training centre and court. “We offer coaching for kids as young as five and senior citizens as it’s an easy sport to play. We also have a lot of tennis players who are moving to pickleball and people who are preferring this over simple cardio,” says Logesh.
The biggest advantage in pickleball is that players of all levels, stamina, and strength can play, says Augustus Dodo, a pickleball trainer from Madurai, who also recently set up a training centre.
Augustus’ students even attended a tournament in Chennai after training for just a year.
Instagram too is lighting up with ‘how to start a pickleball franchise’ videos. Chennai-based entrepreneurs Raghul Dayal and Arif Omar, who are behind the videos, say even though pickleball is in its growing stages because of many celebrities taking up the sport, the sport is on a boom.
“The turf culture took off only after it became popular among celebrities and abroad and that’s what will happen with pickleball too. People are seeing this as a good start-up opportunity.” Dayal says it costs about 12 lakh to set up an outdoor court and up to 20 lakh for an indoor court.
Omar says that since the video, they have received more than 350 direct messages and emails inquiring how to go about it. “Most of the people calling us already have an outdoor/indoor badminton court or a tennis court and use it only for that. By adding one extra sport, their daily collections will double.
In a 400 sqft space, you can make four pickleball courts and if space is an issue, you can have transformable courts set up that can be removed any time you don’t want it,” says Omar.
Ranjith Mohan, founder of Picklers Arena, says it may take at least a year to see substantial profits as the sport is only now picking up.
Augustus adds that since the sport is catching on faster than expected there is a shortage of trainers.
“People, especially in tier-two cities, are still understanding the game. Equipment is a problem.
We’re importing gear from abroad because there are no Indian manufacturers producing it.” Despite the high cost of equipment—a paddle costs 5,000 and a ball 300, excluding import charges—enthusiasts are willing to invest. “Players are eager to gear up and participate in national tournaments,” says Augustus.
“With the upcoming international tournament, people from various age groups are training seriously to compete.”
WHY IS PICKLEBALL GROWING?
Its smaller court and slower pace make it ideal for urban spaces and sports arenas. Being a low impact alternative to traditional racquet sports, improves cardiovascular health, it enhances balance and coordination, reduces stress on the joints, and also aids in weight management.
LOOK WHO’S PLAYING!
Among the celebrities who play the sport are tennis player Armaan Bhatia, who is now a professional pro pickleball player, cricketer Rishabh Pant and actor Arvind Swamy.
THREE-IN-ONE SPORT
Pickle ball is a paddle sport combining elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong. Players use paddles to hit a plastic ball over the net. It can be played in singles or doubles and features a non-volley zone, called the ‘kitchen’ near the net.