Let’s play pickleball: Why this game is growing in popularity in Chennai

Pick up a paddle and head to a nearby court... to play pickleball. Combining the elements of three racquet sports, this game new sport is finding many takers in the city

For the uninitiated, pickleball combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton. Played both indoors and outdoors with a paddle and a ball, the sport can be picked up within a matter of hours and is an effective workout. Though it is a relatively-new sport in India, it has gained a lot of traction recently, especially in India’s post-lockdown phase: in 2020 the number of players in Tamil Nadu quadrupled in less than a year.

“It is also ideal for networking especially if you’re new to a city. We have a community that always opens its doors to new players,” says 36-year-old Mohit, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Pickleball Association, which organised the League drawing more than 70 players, with aspirants coming in from Bengaluru, Kanchipuram and Shivamogga.

Shuttle service

You do not need to have played any sport before to try your hand at pickleball, but previous trysts with racquet sports do help. Sunnidhi Jain, a student of Class XII in Chinmaya Vidyalaya, can vouch for that. Previously a professional badminton player who represented the State, Sunnidhi shifted loyalties when her cousin introduced her to pickleball a year ago. Since then, she has been at it — practising daily with peers at DAV Gopalapuram and training over the weekends.

Sunnidhi is currently among Tamil Nadu’s leading players in her category, having bagged gold and silver medals in various categories in the recent National Women’s tournament held in Bengaluru. “Pickleball is not as intense or physically tiring as badminton. My sporting background helped me pick it up fast, as the court sizes are the same in both sports,” says Sunnidhi, adding that she hopes to soon participate in international tournaments in Indonesia and the US.

While Sunnidhi is approaching the sport competitively, there are many amateurs who play the sport with their families for fun as well. "We see a lot of fathers and daughters playing, as well as players from all age groups," beams Rajath Kankar MR, general secretary of the Indian Pickleball Association, which currently has 16 Indian states under its wing.

R Shyam Sundar of Shareplay, a mobile application and city-based startup that is working towards creating neighbourhood sports centres, says he first heard the word 'pickleball' a year ago. "Now, I hear it so often," he says, "A lot of players book centers through us to play pickleball; an hour typically costs them ₹350-600 for a court." He adds that typically, tennis, basketball and badminton courts are booked for pickleball.