Indian Pickleball League lights up Delhi as Lucknow, Hyderabad, & Chennai score opening-day wins in spectacular debut

New Delhi [India], December 2 (ANI): The Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), recognised as the country's only official league sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, burst onto the national stage with a high-voltage opening day, with Lucknow Leopards, Hyderabad Royals, and Chennai Super Warriors delivering statement victories, according to a release by IPBL.
Day 1 opened with Lucknow defeating the Bengaluru Blasters 4-1, highlighted by India's top-ranked star Aditya Ruhela overcoming Vietnamese international Phuc Huynh 15-10 in a commanding season starter. The momentum carried into the second tie, where Hyderabad Royals secured a composed 4-2 win over Capital Warriors Gurgaon, taking all four early matches before Warriors clawed back with a spirited Grand Rally finish. Later in the night, Chennai Super Warriors bounced back from a match down to sweep their tie against Mumbai Smashers 5-1.
Earlier in the afternoon, Delhi hosted a landmark moment in India's sporting journey as Chief Minister Rekha Gupta formally inaugurated the inaugural season of the Indian Pickleball League at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. With the ceremonial lamp lit and the league trophy unveiled, IPBL officially opened its first chapter--an occasion that reaffirmed Delhi's commitment to empowering emerging sports and championing a modern, inclusive sporting culture.
"India has always been a sports-loving country, and every Indian today wants to explore new sports. A new sport has now been added to our sporting ecosystem, and I congratulate everyone involved. I assure you that we will introduce Pickleball in Delhi schools as well, so it becomes yet another successful sport for our youth," Rekha Gupta said, as quoted from a release by IPBL.
Lucknow Leopards exploded into the IPBL with a commanding 4-1 win over the Bengaluru Blasters, with Ruhela setting the tempo with a sharp 15-10 takedown of Huynh. Bengaluru briefly clawed back in men's doubles, but from there it was all Lucknow--Shelby Bates tore through women's singles 15-5, then paired with Pearl Amalsadiwala for a gritty 15-13 doubles win that flipped the tie decisively. A 21-17 Grand Rally sealed it, sending the Leopards into full celebration mode as Ryler Deheart and Bates claimed Player of the Tie honours.
Hyderabad Royals delivered their own statement win, overpowering Capital Warriors Gurgaon 4-2. Ben Newell stole the early momentum, edging a tense 15-13 opener and then teaming with Divyanshu Kataria to take men's doubles. Seasoned winner Megan Fudge followed with the day's tightest thriller--a nerve-shredding 15-14 singles victory--before closing out women's doubles 15-10 alongside Snehal Patil. Gurgaon took the Grand Rally, but Hyderabad had already sealed a commanding tie, powered by poise, pressure play, and big-match clarity. Hyderabad's Newell and Fudge were adjudged the Best Male and Female Players of the Tie, respectively.
In the day's last tie, Chennai Super Warriors came from a match down to win 5-1 against the Mumbai Smashers. DUPR Men's Singles World No. 3 Quang Duong set the Smashers up with the perfect start, defeating Mitchell Hargreaves 15-12. Hargreaves, however, partnered with Harsh Mehta to sweep the men's doubles 15-9. Momentum on their side, Chennai raced into a 4-1 with Roos van Reek winning the women's singles, while the van Reek and Aaliya partnership claimed victory in the women's doubles. With a 21-18 victory in the Grand Rally, Chennai capped off their perfect night--with van Reek and Mehta claiming the Players of the Tie honours.
Hyderabad and Lucknow will look to carry the winning momentum forward when they take on Chennai Super Warriors and Mumbai Smashers, respectively, on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Bengaluru Blasters and Capital Warriors Gurgaon will aim to kick start their campaign when they play each other in the day's final match. (ANI)