Pickleball is catching on as a social activity in Bengaluru. At least three WhatsApp communities are helping people get started on the racket sport, find other players, and book courts for them.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, table tennis, and badminton. It is played with carbon fibre paddles and perforated balls in groups of two or four. It is both an indoor and outdoor sport.
These groups often see a waitlist for weekend games they host. Even midweek slots sell out quickly.
Quick and light
The admins of these groups say pickleball is easy to pick up and less strenuous than other racket sports, making it accessible for people of all skills and ages.
Akash Devaraju concurs. “I am terrible at sports but I have played pickleball only a few times and I feel confident,” says the F&B entrepreneur. He discovered the hybrid sport last month when he was catering at a sports facility in Koramangala. He recalls, “I saw people playing it on the rooftop. One of them asked me to give it a go.” By the end of the session, he had joined Bengaluru Picklers.
It is a WhatsApp group of 177 members in the age group of 25-38. It is an initiative by Abdul Poonawala, who works with multiple startups in various roles. While Poonawala first played pickleball in Singapore in 2022, a majority of members in the group hadn’t tried it until they joined the community four months ago. Most came out of curiosity and have stuck around. He hosts two games in the midweek and four on weekends.
He says, “People have always been fascinated with tennis. But they don’t play it because they don’t have the required fitness or they fear getting injured. Pickleball is a simpler form of tennis.”
Surbhi Jain organises two games every day as part of the Daily Dinkers community she launched three weeks ago and none of the spots go vacant. The group has 300 members, with more men than women. But she is happy to share that more women are coming forward. “I organised trial sessions for women on August 15. I got 80-odd requests but I could admit only 35 women since I had booked the slot for two hours,” she says.
This traction is a far cry from what the pickleball scene was last year. She recalls, “When my husband and I went looking for a court, we only found one venue near BTM Layout.”
Scene is exploding
Pravruth B H says Bengaluru took to pickleball much after Mumbai and Delhi did but it is catching up fast. He is co-founder of a sports gear rental company. He is also co-admin of Sprentzo Sweatfam DaDink, which organises five pickleball games for its 205 members every week.
“There were two pickleball courts early this year. Now, we have around six (across Jakkur, Koramangala, J P Nagar, Sarjapur, and R R Nagar). One of them was a basketball court earlier! The number is likely to climb to 80 in the next quarter. That’s the word on the street,” he says.
Besides being a light sport and a fun workout, Pravruth thinks people are trying pickleball because of the low cost of entry. He shares, “You can hire the court for Rs 600 to Rs 900 for an hour. This cost is divided among two to four players and sometimes more if they are taking turns to play in one slot.”
However, renting the equipment is a recurring cost. The venues lend a paddle at an hourly rental of Rs 100-Rs 150 and the pickle ball needs to be bought. Pravruth’s startup is renting a pair of paddles and two pickle balls for Rs 400.
Sports venues are also finding ways to rope in newbies. Prashanth R opened Swysh Pickleball, a four-court facility on Sarjapur Road, a month ago. “We are rolling out the concept of ‘Open Play’ to help people find other players for a game,” he says.
Why the name?
Pickleball began as a children’s backyard game in the United States in 1965. Some say it is named after the pet dog of one of the inventors. Others say it is inspired by leftover rowers who would race for fun in local ‘pickle boat’ crew race competitions. In the community lingo, players are ‘picklers’ and losing a match means you got ‘pickled’.
To join, write to @sprentzo and @bangitsports on Instagram.