The inaugural Indian Pickleball League (IPBL) held its first-ever draft, and former PPA Tour standout Quang Duong of Vietnam acquired the excellence of getting known as first. Duong, who’s at the moment a pickleball free agent, was drafted by the Mumbai Smashers, who need to present out within the league’s first season.
“The Mumbai Smashers have at all times believed in backing good, fearless expertise. Our picks mirror a stability of expertise and aggression—qualities we consider will assist us set the tone in Season One,” mentioned Nitish Mittersain, Proprietor of the Mumbai Smashers.
The Hyderabad Royals, selecting second, nabbed USA’s Ben Newell, who was among the many most sought-after international gamers of the draft. Selecting third, the Lucknow Leopards went for Ryler Deheart, who’s an American like Fudge, and is broadly thought to be among the many easiest of this pool of expertise.
“Particular Second” Brings A-Degree Expertise to IPBL
In all, the IPBL’s six groups—Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai Tremendous Warriors, Capital Warriors Gurgaon, and Bengaluru Blasters—chosen 53 gamers from the draft, together with 36 chosen throughout three aggressive swimming pools: Tremendous Stars Professional Worldwide, Tremendous Stars Professional Indian, and Rising Stars.
“Right this moment’s Draft is a really particular second for the Indian Pickleball League,” mentioned Vineet Jain, Managing Director of The Instances Group, who’s organising the league. “I’m actually excited how every one in all you will form the league going ahead. Pickleball is the quickest rising sport on this planet, in addition to in India. And together with your ardour and dedication, I’m positive we are going to make pickleball the largest sport after cricket.”
After Mumbai and Hyderabad, it was time for the Warriors to make their choose, and so they confirmed they imply enterprise as they drafted Jack Munro, a fast-rising American expertise identified for his explosive energy and attacking instincts. The Tremendous Warriors have been to not be outdone as they picked Mitchell Hargreaves, the proficient Australian who combines energy and agility like no different. Lastly, the Blasters opened with Phuc Huynh, who made a reputation for himself right here in Asia for his cat-quick reflexes and aggressive, attacking model.
“We consider in fierce and daring enjoying model that may assist us dominate the courtroom this season. Conserving that in thoughts, we went for gamers who consider in our philosophy, and we’re very proud of the composition of our squad,” mentioned Shreya Agarwal, Proprietor of the Leopards.
“This public sale represented extra than simply signings—it was about constructing a workforce pushed by unshakeable grit and an unrelenting aggressive spirit,” famous Dr Payal Kanodia and Aishwarya Bansal, House owners of the Warriors. “With each choose, we’re dedicated to bringing a fierce, tenacious model of pickleball to the league—one which received’t again down.”
“Our technique was to create a squad with sturdy fundamentals and tactical maturity. We’re assured this group will symbolize Chennai with delight and depth,” defined Chennai Proprietor Dr Swetha Sundeep.
“The public sale was not a chance for the Bengaluru Blasters; it was a calculated takeover. We secured essentially the most undervalued property within the league, combining disruptive athleticism with unmatched data-backed consistency. Our ‘moneyball’ technique wasn’t about saving cash—it was about maximising victory per rupee spent. We’re right here to determine a brand new aggressive normal, and we totally intend to dominate this league from day one. Prepare for a revolution, Bengaluru,” mentioned Vasanth Kalyan, Digital CEO of the Blasters.
IPBL Lineups
Listed below are the rosters of the inaugural IPBL season:
Mumbai Smashers
Quang Duong (Celebrity Male Worldwide), Allison Harris (Celebrity Feminine Worldwide), Ammol Ramchandani (Celebrity Male Indian), Pearl Amalsadiwala (Celebrity Feminine Indian), Rishi Reddy (Rising Star Male), Sindoor Mittal (Rising Star Feminine)
Lucknow Leopards
Aditya Ruhela (Celebrity Male Indian), Ronav Motiani (Rising Star Male), Ryler DeHeart (Celebrity Male Worldwide), Shelby Bates (Celebrity Feminine Worldwide), Mihika Yadav (Celebrity Feminine Indian), Naomi Amalsadiwala (Rising Star Feminine)
Hyderabad Royals
Ben Newell (Celebrity Male Worldwide), Megan Fudge (Celebrity Feminine Worldwide), Divyanshu Kataria (Celebrity Male Indian), Snehal Patil (Celebrity Feminine Indian), Tejas Gulati (Rising Star Male), Shreya Chakraborty (Rising Star Feminine)
Chennai Tremendous Warriors
Mitchell Hargreaves (Celebrity Male Worldwide), Roos Van Reek (Celebrity Feminine Worldwide), Harsh Mehta (Celebrity Male Indian), Aaliya Ebrahim (Celebrity Feminine Indian), Aman Patel (Rising Star Male), Priyanka Mehta (Rising Star Feminine)
Capital Warriors Gurgaon
Jack Munro (Celebrity Male Worldwide), Emilia Schmidt (Celebrity Feminine Worldwide), Stavya Bhasin (Celebrity Male Indian), Naimi Mehta (Celebrity Feminine Indian), Arik Badami (Rising Star Male), Danielle Jones (Rising Star Feminine)
Bengaluru Blasters
Phuc Huynh (Celebrity Male Worldwide), Pei Chuan Kao (Celebrity Feminine Worldwide), Arjun Singh (Celebrity Male Indian), Rakshikha Ravi (Celebrity Feminine Indian), Aditya Singh (Rising Star Male), Shraddha Damani (Rising Star Feminine)
The primary season of the IPBL will run from 1 to 7 December 2025.
