Pickleball’s creating a racket in India, enough for investors to bet big on it

Ronak is one of thousands of Indians embracing the fast-growing sport that is quietly sweeping the country. A hybrid of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, and played on a compact court, pickleball has rapidly evolved from a niche recreational activity into a booming business opportunity, drawing attention from startups, investors, and major brands alike.

Startups such as Goodland Pickleball, GoRally, and KheloMore are aggressively expanding, even focusing on tier 2 and tier 3 markets.

This growing interest in pickleball—conceived 60 years ago—not only signals a shift in India’s recreational sports culture but also presents a significant opportunity in the fitness and leisure market, opening the door for new investments and infrastructure development across the country.

India’s pickleball market is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 26% from 2024 to 2029, according to market research firm Bonafide Research. As one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, pickleball has attracted over five million players across 84 countries, with 40% of the participants being female. 

In India, the sport has seen a staggering 275% increase in active players over the past three years, with participation expected to surpass 1 million by 2028. By late 2024, India was estimated to have around 1,000 pickleball courts and 10,000 players competing at a professional level.

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Investor interest and market expansion

Last week, Bengaluru-based GoRally secured $750,000 in pre-seed funding from prominent investors, including Udaan founder Sujeet Kumar and Tracxn’s Abhishek Goyal. Goodland Pickleball, a US-based company, raised ₹80 lakh for a 6% equity stake plus a 0.5% royalty from boAt founder Aman Gupta on Shark Tank India Season 4.

Larger companies too are taking note.

In November, food and grocery delivery giant Swiggy partnered with cricketer Rishabh Pant to co-own Team Mumbai in the World Pickleball League (WPBL)—India’s first and only global franchise-based pickleball league. 

GoRally, which operates 15 pickleball courts across four centres in Bengaluru and is currently building another four centres, plans to enter Chennai and New Delhi later this year as the sport spreads quickly through word of mouth.

Pickleball’s rise is driven by its inclusive nature, which makes it accessible to all fitness levels. “If you look at apartment complexes in cities like Mumbai and Ahmedabad, pickleball courts are now becoming common," said GoRally co-founder Abhinav Shankar. “Young and old people can play the sport without any prior practice, which is what makes it a hit among newcomers."

Surprisingly, tier 2 and 3 cities are leading the adoption wave, with top players emerging from Jalgaon (Maharashtra), Ambala (Haryana), and Dhanbad (Jharkhand). 

Goodland Pickleball has been receiving a lot of franchise enquiries from cities like Faridabad, which opens up new avenues for growth, its co-founder Hemant Chavan told Mint.

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Gaurav Natekar, former tennis ace who serves as the co-founder and chief executive of World Pickleball League, said that the sport blends pop culture, sports and entertainment.

“If you look at the World Pickleball League and the brands we had, we had brands such as Dove partnering with us as well as a Barclays—one being very traditional and the other an FMCG brand. We also had a few startups sponsoring the event with us. This shows the broad appeal that pickleball has," Natekar told Mint.

“The biggest opportunity lies in increasing the base in terms of the number of people playing sports at any level," said Jatin Paranjape, former cricketer and co-founder of Khelomore. 

“Today, urban Indians, say the top 20 cities in India, have included sports (about 2-3 hours per week) as part of their schedules. Helping these recreational/semi-professional sports players with an elegant and easy way to access sports venues, sports tournaments, fellow sports players to play with and a smooth way to buy equipment is the biggest opportunity in sport."

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A business model inspired by the US

The trigger to explore business opportunities in pickleball emerged from the success of tried-and-tested business models in the US, said Goodland’s Chavan, who resides in New York. 

“Post covid, I saw lots of people in the US bring rackets and nets out to play the sport that looks like tennis and badminton but is different. When I visited India I thought of giving it a try but couldn’t find a pickleball court or equipment. I sensed an opportunity given that sport had already found product-market fit in the US and knew that India’s moment would not be far away."

GoRally’s co-founders, who operate indoor and outdoor pickleball facilities in Bengaluru, noticed in 2023 that fitness and health were becoming important for Indians, which prompted the rise of recreational sports. However, infrastructure was far from ready.

“That’s when we noticed that pickleball was slowly picking up in India, especially in Mumbai and parts of Gujarat, and realized there's immense growth potential. We founded our company in 2024 and made it a mission to get the next 10 million Indians to play the sport regularly," Sancheti said.

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Pickleball courts are about 50% cheaper to set up than badminton courts, which can cost ₹80 lakh to ₹1 crore, according to GoRally’s Shankar. “The idea is to change the expectation of the average Indian about how a sporting experience should be. And the low-cost setup of the court gives us the leverage to add other amenities."

GoRally is looking to add more offerings like a coffee bar, cafe serving healthy treats, and a serene space filled with plants and music to their courts which allow players an area to unwind and create a family experience. “Only 60% of the space is the court. The rest of it is for you to sit and chill with family and we want to invest in that," Shankar said.

And startups are recognizing the need to attract the masses. “You’d be surprised that some of the pickleball coaches from small cities in Maharashtra and Jharkhand train students with paddles carved out of wood. So, while our branding will be premium to maintain high-quality products, the sport is actually for everyone," Goodland's co-founder Chavan noted.

Khelomore’s app is available in the top urban cities as well tier 2 and tier 3 cities like Nagpur, Sangli, Pathankot, Cuttack. Goodland and GoRally are also testing coaching services for players across ages.

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Yet another startup fad?

Despite the enthusiasm, industry experts warn against blind investment in the sport.

“Many individuals and companies are starting ventures in the pickleball space, but not all of them have the necessary skill sets to make it work. It’s important for people wanting to invest in the sport to evaluate the founders and their credibility, the business plan, and the gap that they are trying to address or fill," said WPL’s Natekar.

“The next few years will be very crucial to see if pickleball gets entry in the major interschool tournaments of the country or even into any major tournaments such as Asian games, commonwealth games etc. If pickleball gets into these mega events, more and more kids will take it up and will become more popular in the next few years," Khelomore’s Paranjape said.