Connecting Rising Talent to the Indian Pickleball League
The Pickleball Now Grand Prix roared into action in Mumbai on Thursday, July 23, as the opening edition concluded with 56 matches, and eight finals across the Advanced and Open categories. Mr. Vineet Jain, Managing Director, The Times Group; IPA President Suryaveer Singh Bhullar; Abhinav Bansal, VP, Corporate Development & Strategy, Nazara Technologies joined the courtside excitement at Pickleball Now Grand Prix Mumbai, alongside Shaleen Jain, the Lucknow Leopards Representative.
Raaquib Merchant and Bhumika Tripathi emerged among the standout performers on the opening edition of a tournament that promised players much more than silverware — a potential pathway to the IPBL Player Auction.
The results carried added significance because the Mumbai tournament is the first stop of a much larger Pickleball Now Grand Prix journey designed to create a pathway from competitive amateur pickleball to the professional game. The Pickleball Now Grand Prix has partnered with the Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), with select players from the series earning an opportunity to enter the IPBL Player Auction. After Mumbai, Bengaluru (22nd August), Hyderabad (30th August), Gurugram, Chennai (5th September) and Lucknow — with the Lucknow leg being played in Noida (16th August) — will host subsequent editions as the Grand Prix continues its 13-city journey.
Nitish Mittersain, Founder of Nazara Technologies, who owns Mumbai Smashers said, “The sport of pickleball is growing at a rapid pace in India and there is an abundance of talent. We are delighted to partner with Pickleball Now Grand Prix and witness experienced and fresh talent compete to win the prestigious event. It also offers us an opportunity to identify prospects for our team. I wish the players the very best of luck.”
IPBL franchises will also be closely following the competition, providing players with an opportunity to perform in front of teams looking for emerging talent. Representatives of Mumbai Smashers, winners of the inaugural IPBL season, kept a close eye on players during the Mumbai leg.
The event had several sponsors on board, including, Xplurger as Community Partner; Reliance Industries Limited as Associate Partner; Parul University as Knowledge Partner; CoinDCX as Crypto Partner; Mahindra Electric as Luxury Automobile Partner; Ujjivan as Banking Partner; DavaIndia as Healthcare Partner; Volini as Recovery Partner; HydRo 365 as Hydration Partner; and TOTAL as sports partner.