![\"Lucknow](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp_Image_2025-11-22_at_23.11.43_1764492852763.jpeg\" "\\"Lucknow")
Lucknow Leopards coach Vishnu Vardhan (third from right), ace Indian tennis player, at the IPBL 2025 player draft <\/p>\nBut today, the racquet sport catching the eye of his seven-year-old son isn\u2019t tennis. It\u2019s the one Vishnu himself has been actively promoting and playing, a sport that has turned into a nationwide fever over the past few years: Pickleball.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust before leaving for school, he\u2019ll say, \u2018Come down, let\u2019s play pickleball,\u2019 and we just go downstairs and play,\u201d Vishnu told Hindustan Times. The point he stressed wasn\u2019t only his child\u2019s enthusiasm, but the accessibility of the sport \u2014 something tennis has never truly offered.<\/p>\n
A few years ago, when the pickleball craze was beginning to take shape globally, a video went viral on social media: two men casually playing pickleball inside an airport lounge. Soon after, New York\u2019s JFK airport launched a pop-up pickleball court within its terminal. Over the next few years, airports around the world followed suit, setting up makeshift courts to give stranded passengers a playful escape during flight delays.<\/p>\n
This convenience, the ability to set up a court almost anywhere, is what Vishnu believes makes pickleball the cricket-equivalent of racquet sports in India. Easy to learn, inclusive by design, and playable by all age groups, it has the \u201cgully cricket\u201d factor that no other racquet sport can match.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing that struck me was how easy it is to get started,\u201d the 38-year-old explained. \u201cI\u2019ve been playing tennis professionally for 22\u201323 years, and it\u2019s always been difficult for someone like my mother, for example, to pick up tennis because the learning curve is so long. But pickleball is much easier \u2014 people can start playing almost immediately. With so much of our time now spent on screens, pickleball offers an opportunity for people to get outdoors, be active, and play a sport without much friction. That\u2019s what drew me to it. I want to impact as many people as possible by helping them get outside and play. That will always be my main goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Even with cricket, one of the easy parts is that there\u2019s very low friction to start playing the sport. At some point, everyone has played gully cricket. We used to play in school, even in classrooms with pads and paper balls. I feel a very similar thing is happening with pickleball.”<\/p>\n
Vishnu has remained active in tennis throughout, and is even set to compete in the annual Tennis Premier League (TPL) in Ahmedabad next month. But alongside his ongoing tennis career, the veteran has taken on a far greater responsibility in pickleball. Since picking up the sport a few years ago, he has not only immersed himself in it but also stepped into administrative roles that have given him a deeper understanding of its landscape and potential in India.<\/p>\n
\u201cTennis is something I\u2019ve played all my life, but for the last two years I\u2019ve been actively involved in the pickleball scene, especially within my state. I also head the Telangana Pickleball Association and have been part of the Hyderabad Pickleball League, which has created a lot of buzz in our community. We get a footfall of around a thousand people every Friday when the league takes place. We also fielded the biggest contingent at the IPA Nationals earlier this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been very actively involved and stay in touch with almost the entire pickleball community, which mainly includes former tennis, badminton, or table tennis players. So the interaction has been very easy and natural. Of course, it\u2019s a bit challenging to manage everything together, but I\u2019m very excited about this opportunity and the value I can bring to the sport,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With such a deep involvement, Vishnu has also gained a clearer view of where pickleball is headed in India, and he feels the phenomenon is bigger than what was witnessed in the U.S.<\/p>\n
“The potential of pickleball in the country right now is huge. I think it\u2019s once in a generation that you see a sport explode like this. The growth trajectory we\u2019re seeing in India is actually higher than what was observed in the U.S. or Vietnam, where the sport is already doing well. The potential is definitely enormous, and the way it\u2019s growing, it could become a very close contender to cricket \u2014 though only time will tell if it reaches that level.<\/p>\n
“Getting the approval of the government for the IPA as the official Pickleball association, and heading the Telangana chapter, is a proud moment for me. I want to use all my experience as a professional tennis player to strengthen administration, support players in the state, and help them turn professional. Alongside that, we have very ambitious grassroots goals \u2014 for example, introducing pickleball to 10,000 students in 2026. It\u2019s ambitious, but we have a strong team working on it,” he added.<\/p>\n
Few in India dare to compare any sport’s potential with cricket and its unmatched fanfare. But having served both as a player and in an administrative role, Vishnu does so confidently, arguing that pickleball\u2019s \u201centertainment quotient\u201d gives it a cricket-like appeal \u2014 and, with time, the potential to reach unprecedented popularity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother similarity with cricket is the entertainment quotient. When people watch a cricket match or a league, they\u2019re fully entertained, not just by the sport but by everything happening around it. The audience doesn\u2019t have to sit quietly or be stoic \u2014 they can enjoy the action and the atmosphere together. I think these similarities are helping pickleball see a spike in both viewership and participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
What does pickleball need now?<\/p>\n
Any trend \u2014 even one growing as explosively as pickleball, can lose momentum if its rise isn\u2019t supported by structure. India has witnessed the launch of countless sports leagues over the past few years, with several more in the pipeline. But long-term growth requires organisation, consistency and a clear pathway for players. In pickleball\u2019s case, that responsibility lies with the IPA, recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as the official National Sports Federation (NSF) for pickleball, which now works closely with state units to streamline the sport.<\/p>\n
Vishnu believes that while participation has skyrocketed, the next phase of growth depends on building a solid, unified system.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee, right now, as I mentioned, a proper structure needs to be brought into the sport. We\u2019re yet to see that fully manifest in pickleball. Currently, there are a lot of haphazard events, sometimes multiple events in a week, with organisers pressuring players to participate in their own tournaments. It\u2019s very important that the federation and associations put a proper structure in place, not just for events but across other aspects as well, like standardising surfaces and balls, training officials and referees, and ensuring tournaments are conducted fairly and uniformly. IPA is focusing very strongly on these areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next week, at Delhi\u2019s KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium, Vishnu will take on a new role, head coach of the Lucknow Leopards in the inaugural Indian Pickleball League. It is the country\u2019s first official pickleball league, and marks a landmark moment for the sport, backed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Sports Authority of India.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m super excited to be part of a sport that\u2019s growing so rapidly in India. The Indian Pickleball League is the country\u2019s first official league, and it\u2019s being organised on a very grand scale. I\u2019m truly honoured to be part of this historic event. Having the support of the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India gives the sport clear direction. Along with taking pickleball to a professional level through the league and major tournaments, there are also several grassroots initiatives planned. So it\u2019s a very exciting time for pickleball right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucknow Leopards coach Vishnu Vardhan (third from right), ace Indian tennis player, at the IPBL 2025 player draft <\/p>\n
According to Vishnu, once India, and the rest of the pickleball-playing world, embraces a structured approach, the sport will be ready for its next big leap: inclusion in major multi-nation events.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce this structure is in place, the next step would be inclusion in the Asian Games. We are already seeing pickleball grow rapidly in countries like India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Even in China, known for its excellent table tennis and badminton players, pickleball is catching on. Some of their players have incredibly fast hands \u2014 even quicker than what I\u2019ve seen in India. Once these countries adopt the sport on a larger scale, inclusion in the Asian Games becomes a natural progression. And once it\u2019s in the Asian Games, it\u2019s only a matter of time before it becomes an Olympic sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is pickleball going head to head with other racquet sports in India?<\/p>\n
A few months ago, The New York Times published an in-depth investigation into how pickleball had overtaken thousands of tennis courts in the US. By analysing nearly 100,000 aerial photographs, the study identified around 26,000 outdoor pickleball courts were built in the past seven years, many at the expense of former tennis facilities. The report noted that more than 8,000 tennis courts had been converted for pickleball use.<\/p>\n
From his unique vantage point \u2014 active in both sports as a player and administrator \u2014 Vishnu didn\u2019t deny that a similar trend is visible in India.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no two ways about it \u2014 pickleball is taking some traction from tennis and badminton, mainly because the entry barrier is very low. On a single tennis court, you can set up four pickleball courts. I\u2019ve seen many tennis courts being converted, and a lot of pickleball events are held on tennis courts with temporary lines. Even our own national championship happened at a tennis facility that was converted for pickleball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Vishnu was quick to clarify that this shift doesn\u2019t necessarily come at tennis\u2019 expense.<\/p>\n
He explained that pickleball has largely created its own wave of participation, pulling in people who once drifted away from sport \u2014 and offering them a fresh re-entry point rather than redirecting existing tennis or badminton players.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving said that, I don\u2019t see a dip in participation or progress in tennis or badminton. Instead, a new set of players is entering pickleball. Many former tennis players now compete in the 30-plus or 40-plus categories, especially in South India. Friends who quit tennis years ago due to finances or education have come back through pickleball. And former junior tennis players \u2014 like Armand Bhatia and Sameer Verma from Hyderabad \u2014 are now among the best pickleball players in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
To Vishnu, this influx strengthens but doesn’t threaten India\u2019s racquet-sport ecosystem.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than taking away from tennis, badminton, or table tennis, pickleball is creating a new entry point. For a young sporting nation like ours, this is very positive. With India set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and bidding for the Olympics, I feel we are going to mature into a strong global sporting nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked whether young racquet-sport athletes are actively switching to pickleball, Vishnu agreed, and said the transition is logical.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis transition is happening because tennis, badminton, and table tennis players already have an advantage when they come into pickleball. They see a good opportunity here.\u201d<\/p>\n
That opportunity, he added, is amplified by the structure of the new Indian Pickleball League.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlike some tennis leagues like the Tennis Premier League, which involve many foreign players, the Indian Pickleball League focuses heavily on Indian talent. Each team has only two foreigners and four Indian players. I think this is a great concept \u2014 it gives our players a platform to showcase their skills, test themselves on a big stage, and grow. This will definitely help them going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But today, the racquet sport catching the eye of his seven-year-old son isn\u2019t tennis. It\u2019s the one Vishnu…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,141382,141381,141383,26018,82,593,141379,141380],"class_list":["post-317801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-india-pickleball-league-2025","tag-indian-pickelball-league","tag-ipbl","tag-pickleball","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-vishnu-vardhan","tag-vishnu-vardhan-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}