Pickleball in Lakshadweep

Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on All India Pickleball Association (ipaofficial.com), Sportskeeda — Asian Open Pickleball Championship 2024 coverage, The Hans India — Asia Pickleball Games 2024, Asian Junior Championship 2026 coverage, Global Pickleball Federation — Aditya Khanna profile. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin: 1965 USA
Category: Racquet
Olympic discipline: No
Paralympic discipline: No
Central pathway: Federation and state pathway
Athlete profiles on SportSupport: 0

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body: AIPA
Ministry recognition: Not currently verified
International federation: Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion: Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility: Not currently verified
Olympic status: Not on the Olympic programme
Paralympic status: Not a Paralympic discipline

Pickleball is listed on SportSupport in the racquet category. Its recorded origin is 1965 USA. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list AIPA as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Pickleball has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through AIPA may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for pickleball athletes in India.

Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to pickleball.
Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given pickleball event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.
State sports quota and government employment
Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which pickleball events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

No profiles yet

No athlete profiles are recorded for pickleball yet. We only list athletes we can source, so this section stays empty until verifiable profiles exist.

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Rules

Pickleball is played on a 44ft x 20ft court with a 34-inch-high net, in singles or doubles, using a perforated plastic ball and solid paddles. Serves are hit underhand, diagonally, from behind the baseline and must clear the 7ft non-volley zone (the 'kitchen') on each side of the net; players may not volley while standing in the kitchen. The two-bounce rule requires the serve and the return to bounce before either side may volley. Only the serving side scores; games run to 11 points (win by two), with matches typically best-of-three. Faults include serving out, hitting into the net, volleying from the kitchen and letting the ball bounce twice.

Authoritative rulebook: AIPA. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across racquet sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced pickleball squad list.

Singles
One-on-one match — the standard individual format for ranking events.
Doubles
Two-a-side format with different court coverage and serve/return patterns.
Mixed doubles
One male and one female partner — a distinct discipline at multi-sport meets.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in pickleball at a federation-recognised event.

Solid pickleball paddle (composite or graphite face)
Perforated plastic pickleball (indoor or outdoor variant)
Net set at 34 inches at centre, 36 inches at the posts
Court markings including the 7ft non-volley zone on each side
Non-marking court shoes and eyewear

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

AIPA

AIPA is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Pickleball, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement of current recognition — recognition is granted year by year.

Origin: 1965 USA
Olympic: No
Paralympic: No
Category: Racquet

All federations →

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in pickleball.

All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) national circuit
AIPA is the National Sports Federation for pickleball in India, organizing national-level competition including the growing Bengaluru Open (400+ participants from 17 states in 2024).
Indian Pickleball League / PPA Tour India
The Indian Pickleball League launched in December 2025. United Pickleball Association has partnered with Global Sports to bring the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball to India, with a 12-team franchise season planned for 2025-26.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in pickleball.

US Open Pickleball Championship
India won 10 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze) at the 2024 edition in Florida.
Asian Open Pickleball Championship
India won 5 medals (3 gold, 2 bronze) at the 2024 edition in Vietnam.
Asia Pickleball Games
India won 14 medals (5 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze) at the 2024 edition in Chinese Taipei — former national doubles tennis champion Nitten Kirttane won gold in the 50+ category, reflecting genuine crossover talent from other racquet sports.
Asia Pickleball Junior Open
India's junior programme won 3 medals (gold, silver, bronze) at the 2026 edition in Thailand.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for pickleball. The national championship under AIPA remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised pickleball athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for pickleball maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in pickleball — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

Aditya Khanna, CEO of AIPA, serves as the first Secretary of the Asian Pickleball Association and helped launch the Indian Pickleball League
Pickleball's rapid growth and crossover appeal to tennis/badminton players is opening genuine playing and coaching pathways, with professional coaching certification becoming increasingly available
The sport's low cost and adaptability to existing badminton/tennis courts is helping it spread quickly across Indian cities

Explore sports careers →Coaches directory →

Related academies

0 listed

No pickleball academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.

All academies →List your academy →

FAQs

Common questions about pickleball in India.

Who governs Pickleball in India?▾

We list AIPA as the Indian governing/organising body for Pickleball, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Pickleball an Olympic sport?▾

No, Pickleball is not on the Olympic programme.

How do I start playing Pickleball in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under AIPA. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Pickleball athletes?▾

TOPS does not apply, as Pickleball is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Pickleball does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Pickleball in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Pickleball in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.